


Through the Galaxy

by DarkReyna16



Series: Across Time and Space [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: (I will put a warning on the specific chapters in general), (Just to be safe), (don't act like you're surprised), Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, NSFW, Rating for later chapters, Sensitive bones, Sub Sans, ecto dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-02 12:58:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 89,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5249078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkReyna16/pseuds/DarkReyna16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "Across Time and Space". After a long, arduous battle with her illness, Aeris has finally emerged victorious three years later, all in the name of the punny bonehead she fell skull-over-tarsal for. But when she returns to Mt. Ebott, it is to the despairing truth that Sans has lost every single memory of her. Now, with the help of her friends, an eccentric bartender, and her own determination, Aeris must decide on which she would rather live without: her tragic, unfinished romance, or Sans’ newfound happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Done Fucked Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep.
> 
> By the way, guys, just so you know: I wrote this before I posted the last two chapters of ATS, because I knew EXACTLY how this was going to go.
> 
> Dance, puppets, dance!
> 
> ~Reyna

You all meet up outside the previously agreed upon location at the previously agreed upon time. Some of you look nervous. Some of you look angry. But all of you are determined, or you wouldn’t be here right now. With a few nods exchanged between you, you cautiously head up the stairs of the apartment complex, which is an unfortunate shade of pink…though it kind of makes sense, since _evil lives here._

You crowd around the door at the end of the second floor. Like a swat team, many of you exchange hand signals, silently instructing each other on what to do. At the count of three, two of you kick the door in, and you all rush inside.

Good god, this woman is a slob. Dishes are piled in the sink, and the living room is an absolute nightmare, an explosion of bills and clothes and other crap. Posters of hot Japanese men litter the walls, and the TV has an inch of dust on it; it clearly doesn’t see much use. A few of you sniff around, spotting the incense on the table, which makes the apartment smell nice, despite the chaos inside. That’s a relief, at least.

Somewhere in the apartment, running water abruptly shuts off. You all tense, and then form a tight-knit group as a door clatters open. There’s faint humming coming from the hall you just came from; apparently it branches off in another direction. You wait, getting more and more nervous, though you try not to show it, as the humming draws closer. Finally, _she_ steps into the room.

She’s wearing nothing but a towel—apparently she just got out of the shower. Some of you are promptly distracted by her buxom figure, many of you becoming intimidated just like that. She’s a lot shorter than you would have thought. She’s in the process of tugging a hair band from her hair, thick dark hair tumbling down her damp, dark shoulders, when she spots you all. Surprise flickers through her dark brown eyes. You watch, remaining determined, as she counts you all, outnumbering her by a good amount. Her eyebrows raise, and she scratches the back of her head.

“Uh. Hi.”

All of you just glare at her. She glances behind her, at the broken-in door, and then back to you all. There’s a faint crease in between her eyebrows, like she’s annoyed about something. She folds her arms and quirks a brow.

“So…anyone wanna tell me what the hell you’re all doing in my living room?”

“YOU’RE A LIAR!” One of you braver souls bursts out.

“You promised us a happy ending!!” Another one chimes in.

There’s a chorus of “yeah!” and “that’s right!” and “you dirty liar!”

Her eyebrows disappear behind her bangs. She lets out a long-winded huff, and said bangs become aloft for a few seconds.

“Ohhh my god. Is _that_ why you’re all here?” She shakes her head, then jerks a thumb back at the broken in door, where you all came from. “You’re wastin’ your breath here, kids. Time to go home.”

“We’re not going anywhere!” One of you steps forward, a fist raised, fury in your gaze. “You promised us a happy ending, and we’re here to make sure you deliver!”

Rather than being intimidated like you expect, she laughs softly, her gaze lowering to the floor.

“You guys sure are entitled,” she mutters to the floor with a mild shrug. “I’ll ask nicely one more time. Go home.”

“Didn’t you hear me?!” One of you takes another step forward, standing directly in front of Satan herself. “We’re. Not. Going. Anywhere!”

There are accompanying cheers and jeers at that, but they quiet at the soft laughter that issues from her, growing louder with every second. It’s a faintly sinister sound, and one or two of you exchange glances. What was going on? Shouldn’t she have given in by now? And why was she laughing like that…?

Abruptly, she stops. Her bangs hide her eyes from view as she continues to look down at the floor.

“…I don’t think you heard _me,_ ” she says quietly. Suddenly, there’s a shiny metal bat in her grasp, dented and stained in some places with—holy shit, is that _blood?!_ Before you can get a closer look, she swings at the one of you that dared to step into her personal space, making one of you yelp and fall back on your ass. She raises the bat, resting it across her shoulders as she lifts her head. There’s a manic grin on her face, sinister laughter sliding through her teeth. Her eyes have become tiny pinpricks in the whites of her eyes, and you swear to _god_ that they’ve just turned red. You all suddenly get the feeling that you’ve awakened a long-slumbering beast by jamming a stick into its eye.

“ _I SAID,_ ” she growls, somehow in both her normal pitch and a voice several octaves lower, her aura suddenly growing, turning pitch black and leaking evil-looking winged creatures, who point and cackle at your predicament, “ _GET THE **FUCK OUT OF MY APARTMENT.**_ ”

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. This is it. This is how you’re going to die. You all stare, transfixed in fear before the demon that stood before you, not daring to move an inch, for fear that she would just snap and start swinging. Her grin widens at your obvious fear.

“ _NO? STILL WANNA STICK AROUND? FINE BY ME._ ” She adopts a batter’s stance, cackling madly. “ ** _I NEED TO PRACTICE MY HITTING ANYWAY._** ”

You all either stare or hide your eyes as she decides to start with the foolish one of you that stepped into her space earlier. Her cackling reaching a high pitch, she swings the bat at Mach speed, aiming right for the head—

“WAIT!!!” One of you cries, stumbling forward on legs that threatened to give way at any moment, “WAIT, REYNA!”

The sound of her name seems to make her pause. She somehow stops the swing an inch from one of your heads, the whoosh of the bat still ringing in your ears.

She stares at the one of you that called her name, her grin widening.

“ _OH? ARE YOU VOLUNTEERING AS TRIBUTE?_ ”

“N-no!” One of you stammers, shaking in your boots. “Pl-please, have mercy!”

Reyna cocks her head to the side, still grinning that insane grin.

“ _MERCY?_ ” She asks, as if the concept is foreign to her.“ _YOU INVADED **MY** SPACE, CHUMP. THIS AIN’T UNDERTALE. WHY WOULD I SHOW YOU MERCY?_ ”

“Please!” One of you begs, your legs finally giving way. You sink onto your knees, hands clasped before you, groveling. “We’re sorry! We’re really sorry! We just wanted to know why!”

Something flickers in Reyna’s eyes. You feel hope begin to return as the spark of humanity seems to return to her eyes.

“ _Why…?_ ”

Now she frowns at you. She moves the bat to rest against the floor, leaning on it, her other hand resting on her hip. “Why what?”

“Why you didn’t follow through!” Your voice cracks as you try to make the accusation seem as non-accusatory as possible. “I-I mean…you _did_ tag it as ‘angst with a happy ending’, right? So…why wasn’t it a thing…?”

Reyna considers you for a long moment. You stare back at her, your eyes watering, but you don’t dare blink, for fear that it might be misconstrued as weakness. The rest of you wait, holding your breath.

Finally, she huffs.

“Hold on. I don’t have enough nicotine in my system for this shit.”

Grumbling under her breath, she tosses the bat aside and steps over the one of you that appears to have passed out in terror. The rest of you watch, frozen like deer in headlights as she moves over to her dresser, opens the top drawer, and starts flinging a random assortment of items to the floor. Finally, she retrieves her prize—a cigarette pack and a lighter.

Reyna plops down into the only chair in the room, which happens to be a fancy armchair. Apparently not caring that she’s still only in a towel, she pops her legs up over one of the arms, sitting sideways, her back resting against the other arm. She sinks down, crossing her legs as she retrieves a cigarette from the carton and sticks it between her lips. It takes her a moment to get the lighter to work—and you pray every second that it fails to catch that it eventually will, because the way she’s cursing makes you nervous for your own well-being—and takes a long drag from the cigarette after it’s lit. She sighs in content, blowing smoke into the air.

“Ah. That’s better.” She seems to forget you all for a moment, and some of you look at each other, contemplating your chances of survival if you decide to flee. But then her gaze locks onto you, and all hopes of escape are crushed.

“…The fuck do you mean I didn’t deliver?” She suddenly asks, looking annoyed at the one of you who dared to accuse her of such a thing. Reyna takes another drag from her cigarette, but it doesn’t seem to help much. “Weren’t you all barking and pleading for Aeris to survive? Well, you got your wish. Aeris is alive at the end of the story. If that isn’t shit-your-pants-happy, then what the fuck is your definition?”

“But Sans doesn’t remember her!” Another one of you pipes up, looking like you immediately regret the decision when Reyna’s gaze switches to focus on you. “I-I mean…it seems like he doesn’t remember her, even though he remembers her name when he sees her, so I guess he does…? Did that part confuse anyone else?” You question the rest of the group, but none of you are brave enough to agree nor disagree. Reyna lets her cigarette dangle from her lips for a moment in favor of folding her arms, causing her breasts to swell, her towel growing dangerously close to coming undone.

“So what?” She questions, and some of you stare at her in astonishment. “So Sans doesn’t remember her. She’s still alive. They can work on that. What more do you want?”

“But you left it so open-ended!” One of you complains. You have to pause for a second to gather your courage to say the next sentence. “And…I think you did it on purpose!”

The frightening grin returns to Reyna’s face, quick as a flash. Her eyes maintain their normal human look, however. For now.

“Oh?” She questions, and it’s amazing how one syllable can threaten so much trouble. She puts her cigarette out, grinding it into the top of her cigarette box. “Oh please, do go on. Tell me more about my own actions, go ahead. I _dare_ you.”

You gulp. “I-I mean…well, of course you finished it! Everyone agrees that “Across Time and Space” is a finished product, right?” The rest of you remain silent. “ _Right?!_ ” One of you prompts, looking like Burgerpants when he has to inform customers that he can’t speak to them if they don’t buy anything. One or two of you nod and mumble in agreement. Panicking now, you go on. “B-but I think you left the ending open on purpose, not only so the reader could create their _own_ ending, but also just in case you wanted to go back and continue the story! Uh, right…?”

Reyna stares at you. You wait, swallowing hard, wondering if this is the moment you die. Time seems to stand still. Then—

Reyna smiles. It isn’t her frightening smile—it’s a genuine smile, as if she’s proud of you for figuring it out.

“Well ain’tchu smart?” She teases, getting up from the chair. You watch her warily as she crosses the living room, returning to the hall. “Wait a sec. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as she disappears down the hallway, one of you turns to the rest of you, eyes wide with panic.

“We’ve gotta get the _fuck_ outta here,” you hiss, and the rest of you nod fervently in agreement. “Okay, here’s my plan—”

“ _HEY._ ”

You all jump, whirling around. Reyna’s head his peeking out from the hallway, her grin manic again, frightening you more that Chara’s face at the end of Undertale. Her eyes are little red pinpricks, and some of you suddenly wish your bladders weren’t so full.

“ _I SAID **DON’T MOVE,**_ ” she reminds you all, waiting until she gets a nod from a few of you. Her head slowly slides out of view, one of her eyes staring at you all for a long moment before she finally disappears. A lot of you swallow loudly, and none of you dare to move, speak, or even look at each other for several minutes.

Reyna finally returns. To your surprise, she’s dressed very casually in jeans and a t-shirt. Honestly, you were expecting hellhound leather or something, but in those clothes, she looks almost normal.

But she’s _not_ normal. You know that now. Such a shame you had to find out the hard way.

She plops back into her armchair, sitting the exact same way as earlier. You notice the red glasses now perched on her nose, and the large book in her hands. She makes herself comfortable, licking her thumb and flicking through the pages. For a while, that’s the only sound you hear.

“Ah, here we go,” she mumbles, sitting up from her slouched position, tucking one of her legs underneath her. “Gather ‘round, kiddies. It’s story time.”

Afraid of what might happen if you dare to disobey, you all reluctantly crowd around her chair. This seems to please Reyna; she smirks and hoists the book higher into her lap. “It just so happens that I have the continuation of “Across Time and Space” right here,” she says, tapping the book and smirking wider at some of the awed looks on your faces. “The new story’s called “Through the Galaxy”—what’s so funny?” she demands of the one of you that dared to snicker. You clam up, shaking your head fervently. She squints her eyes at you for a moment, and then returns her attention to the book. “Anyway…it’s the sequel. I was gonna sit on it for a while, because I wasn’t sure yet how I felt about it…but since so many of you took the time to come and see me…”

She gazes at you all over her glasses. “By the way—whoever broke my fucking door is paying for the damages, or there’ll be hell to pay.”

You wonder if she means that literally…then decide that you don’t want to find out.

Reyna clears her throat, pushing her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose. “Okay, since you guys want it so much, I’ll read it to you. It’s long, though, so bathroom breaks and snack breaks will have to be a thing. I’ll designate those myself. If any of you dare to interrupt any other time…”

Reyna grins her terrifying grin, her eyes shrinking and changing color once again.

“…there will be problems,” she promises in a soft voice, and you find that to be even creepier than that double-timbre voice she usually uses with that demonic grin. Shifting her position, Reyna sits properly in the chair now, crossing her legs.

“Get comfy,” she commands you all, and you fidget, trying to find a comfortable spot on the floor, “because the story starts…now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Urrrgh, OC Reyna is so different from me. I've never even touched a cigarette.
> 
> :D
> 
> Hope you're ready, because there's more feels coming your way!
> 
> ~Reyna


	2. The Weight of the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Saturday morning here. By all rights, I should still be sleeping.
> 
> But I'm not. So here's a feel-bad chapter. :P
> 
> ~Reyna

_“Are you sure about this, Aeris?”_

_“I’m sure.”_

_“Because if we start this, there is no going back, no running away. In order for this treatment to succeed…you have to see it through to the end.”_

_Her mother paused. “No matter the conclusion,” she finished heavily._

_Aeris looked up, meeting her mother’s gaze. Aeris’ eyes were so like hers, and yet, so different—whereas Aeris’ eyes sparkled with kindness and laughter, Dr. Crown’s eyes were coldly intelligent, and exhausted beyond her years._

_“I understand, Mom,” Aeris assured her. Dr. Crown sighed, her stress clear on her face. It was actually miraculous she didn’t have more gray hair…but Aeris suspected that her mother probably dyed the rest of it, and kept the one gray streak for stylistic purposes._

_“…Very well. Then your treatment begins now.”_

After that moment, Aeris had had to live through two long, hard years. It was a little like pulling herself up a cliff face, one hand over the other, for about seven-hundred and thirty days: the journey was long and grueling, she often slipped and almost fell to her death, and there were many, _many_ days when she just wanted to give up, say “I quit”, and just let go.

…Okay, so it was a lot like pulling herself up a cliff face, one hand over the other, for about seven-hundred and thirty days.

But Aeris persevered. Some days, she wasn’t sure how she did it. But she had a funny feeling it had a lot to do with the smile of a certain skeleton, an image kept firmly fixed under her eyelids, like a guiding beacon calling her home. It was for that smile, and the undying hope of seeing it again, that helped Aeris finally conquer her illness.

And that third year, when she was finally declared cured, after years and years of being short of breath, all the coughing and hacking and bloodied tissues and sheets…funnily enough, Aeris could only cry. It was supposed to be a happy occasion, but the tears just came naturally. And for once, she let them take her and cried her eyes out, the feeling cleansing, as if her tears also carried away the weight on her shoulders that had been present for much too long.

And now she was here. And once again, Sans was in front of her…

And he was acting like he had had no idea she even existed.

This wasn’t at all how Aeris pictured their reunion.

She had prepared for every other possibility—shock, anger, disbelief. All of those reactions, she was expecting.

This, however, was a curveball she hadn’t seen coming. And it threw her so off-balance that she should be stumbling around like a drunkard right about now.

“…Sans,” she began slowly, a weak smile spreading across her face, “you’re…not serious, right? You’re just joking, aren’t you?”

It would’ve been a cruel joke, one Aeris wouldn’t have expected of him, no matter how angry he was with her. But she knew he wasn’t joking. She could see it. Three years may have come and gone, but she could still tell when Sans was being serious.

And the way he was looking at her now suggested that he was looking at nothing more than a stranger.

Sans gave her a grin and shrugged. “I’m known to joke around now and then, but make no _bones_ about it, Sweetheart—I have no idea who you are.”

Aeris stared at him. She hated the new nickname—it was so condescending that she wanted to smack him. And she wanted to smack him for apparently forgetting about her, however that had happened. And she wanted to smack herself for believing that everything would be okay after she disappeared for three years with little to no explanation.

If this was supposed to be punishment for her sins…then it was super-effective.

As she struggled with the weight of the new situation, Sans watched her, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he huffed and rubbed the back of his skull.

“Actually…that’s a lie. I don’t know ya, but I do have _some_ idea of who you are.” He glanced over at Aeris, searching her face. “You’re the human my bro calls “Princess,” right?”

After all these years, Papyrus was still referring to her as “Princess”? The thought made Aeris’ throat close up; she could only nod. Sans grinned at that.

“Cute nickname,” he remarked, “I can see why Papyrus calls ya that.”

Aeris didn’t have any idea what he meant by that. And she was too irritated with the situation to properly find out.

“That was your fault,” she insisted, scowling at Sans. He looked so different. It wasn’t just the new clothes, though Aeris had certainly noticed those when she first saw him—it was the way he carried himself. There was an edge to him, an edge that Aeris had noticed when she met him the first time. But when she blasted through his defenses, gradually, the edge disappeared, and he became softer, more open.

In her absence, however, not only had the edge returned, but it had returned with a vengeance, hardening and crystallizing like a permanent fixture. And she suspected that it was all her fault.

Sans tilted his head to the side, his grin widening, as if Aeris was nothing more than a mildly interesting television program.

“Oh?” He asked, and she could tell by his tone that he was humoring her. “And howzit my fault, exactly?”

“You mistook my name the first time you met me,” Aeris explained, despite the fact that the necessity of the explanation hurt her. “You thought it was spelled differently.”

She watched as Sans absorbed that. After a moment, understanding lit his gaze.

“Ah. Well, forgive me, Snow White—it sounds like somethin’ I would’ve found funny.”

“Snow White?” Aeris wrinkled her nose. She was liking these new nicknames less and less with every one Sans was throwing out. And still, she desperately searched his face, hoping for a trace of recognition in there, something, anything—

Sans’ expression remained politely interested.

“You look like her,” he replied with a mild shrug. “At least, you look like her the way my bro tells the story.”

Aeris frowned as she took that in. Did Papyrus even know the legend of Snow White? Aeris remembered discussing it with Sans, of course, but Papyrus—

Sans turned and began to walk away. Aeris stared after him, a boulder of loss crashing down onto her shoulders, beginning to crush her. Not only did he not remember her, for some reason or another, but he was also leaving her out here in the snow, as if she wasn’t worth his interest anymore. How cruel.

Tears pushed at the back of her eyes, but she squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let them fall. Her arms folded around her, trying to hold in the pain. It had been three long years. She had fought so hard for so long, trying to get back here, to him… Were all her efforts in vain?

“Hey.”

Aeris opened her eyes, startled by the summons for the second time that night. Sans was a couple feet away, paused in mid-step, but he turned towards her. He seemed to be waiting until she looked up at him, and something in her expression made his grin falter. It returned full force after a second, however. “You comin’?”

Aeris blinked at him. “…What?”

Sans shrugged another easy-going shrug. Stupid, casual, forgetful skeleton.

“You know my bro, right? Since you’re in town and all, I think he’d wanna see you. C’mon, I’ll take ya to him.”

Aeris’ eyes widened. Of course. Papyrus. He could tell her what was going on. He could tell her _everything._ She took a step forward, her stubbornness beginning to take hold. She didn’t know whether or not Papyrus—or the rest of them—would be happy to see her after she disappeared three years ago, but she was going to get answers from _somebody_ , and she might as well start with him.

“Okay,” she said, her face set, eyes alight with determination, “let’s go.”

Again, Sans grin flickered. He stared at her a moment, long enough to make Aeris blush.

“What?” She demanded when he didn’t say anything, searching his face for the answer. But either she was rusty, or this new Sans was better at hiding his emotions, because his expression gave her nothing to work with. He turned away after a moment, his grin returning.

“S’nothing,” he said, strolling ahead of her. She saw him shrug, and she gritted her teeth against the urge to snap at him to stop doing that. “Just got a weird sense of déjà vu, that’s all…”

‘ _You and me both,_ ’ Aeris reflected bitterly as she trudged after him.

For two long years she had fought, and last year, she had finally broken free.

But this freedom cost her a heavy price, it would seem. And, as she looked at Sans’ default grin, Aeris began to wonder if the price would end up being too heavy.

 

* * *

 

Sans led her to Toriel’s house. He told her to wait, and she fidgeted out in the snow as he went in first, greeting whoever was inside.

“Hey, kid. Hey, bro.”

“Sans, you’re late!” Aeris’ throat closed up at the familiar indignation in Papyrus’ voice. Dear, sweet Papyrus. “We almost started the movie without you!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Sans apologized, not sounding sorry in the slightest, “I got side-tracked on the way here.”

“What could be more important than movie night?!”

“How ‘bout an old friend?” Sans turned to her, grinning, as if he was about to give his brother a real treat. Aeris almost wanted to laugh at how wrong he was about to be proven. “Come in, Sweetheart,” he beckoned.

Aeris glared at him. She was going to have to have a talk with him about which nicknames were and were not okay.

Taking a deep breath to dispel some of her nervousness, Aeris stepped into the house. It was bigger than she remembered—it had clearly been expanded, and a picture of Toriel and Asgore hung by the door, their hands clasped together as they stood in fancy wear in front of an arch. Apparently, they had chosen to get remarried. Aeris hated that she had to miss it.

There was a gasp, and something clattered to the floor. Aeris turned in the direction of the living room.

Papyrus stood in front of the couch, his jaw hanging open, arms outstretched—he was apparently carrying a large bowl of popcorn before it slipped from his grasp. His eye sockets were focused on her, but he seemed unable to say anything right away. Something shifted next to him, and then stood up from the couch.

“…Aeris…?”

Aeris’ eyes widened. Was that…Frisk?

No, it couldn’t be. For one thing, Frisk didn’t talk, choosing to communicate in sign language instead. And for another thing, there was _no way_ Frisk could be that tall already. Absolutely no way…

Frisk stepped forward, staring at Aeris. Aeris stared back, taking in every inch of them. Slowly, a tremulous smile began to spread across her face. She raised her shaking hands, and began to sign.

“ _You got so big,_ ” she noted, feeling tears beginning to sting her eyes. Yet another unexpected bittersweetness to add to her return: she had missed more of Frisk growing up.

Frisk hesitated one more second. And then they closed the distance between them in two long strides, nearly tackling her in a hug. Aeris let out a squeak of surprise before wrapping her arms around them, squeezing as tightly as Frisk was squeezing her. To be able to enjoy this kind of tight hug without the fear of losing her breath and being sent into a coughing fit…it was so liberating.

“…Princess…?” Said a timid voice, and Aeris broke away from Frisk to look at Papyrus. He was still gaping at her, jaw wide open, but Aeris found the sight heartbreaking rather than amusing; Papyrus looked like he was seeing a ghost…and not the good kind. “You’re not…but we…”

The tall skeleton slowly lowered his arms, as if he just realized they were holding nothing but air. He stared at Aeris, tears beginning to leak from his eye sockets. Aeris felt a steam roller pulverize her heart—never should she have made Papyrus cry. Never.

“W-we thought you were… _dead,_ ” Papyrus finished, rubbing at his eye sockets with a gloved hand.

Aeris felt the weight of Sans’ gaze suddenly fall on her. She ignored him for now, squared her shoulders, and moved forward to Papyrus, stopping just short of him.

“Papyrus,” she said softly, waiting until he looked at her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks too, now, but she stubbornly ignored them, holding the tall skeleton’s gaze. “I’m so, _so_ sorry. I could apologize forever, and it wouldn’t be enough to tell you how truly sorry I am.”

Smiling a little, she raised her arms in invitation. “…Would a hug be too much to ask right now?”

That really set Papyrus off.

“NYAH HAAH HAAAAAH!!” He cried, his eyes suddenly becoming faucets as tears sprayed from them. Startled, Aeris tried to think of something to say to calm him, but the tall skeleton reached forward, wrapping his bony arms around her. “I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE ALIVE, PRINCESS!!! WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!! IT’S BEEN _TERRIBLE_ WITHOUT YOU!!!”

“Ouch,” said a mild voice behind them, Aeris recognizing it as Sans’. “Now that hurts, bro. What, you’re saying the rest of us aren’t good enough for ya?”

Aeris closed her eyes and tried to make peace with the fact that Sans was brushing off her return as nothing more than a mere happenstance. It didn’t work very well.

“Papyrus,” she muttered, still hugging the tall skeleton, “what happened…?”

Papyrus pulled back, and his expression confused Aeris—he looked like a kid who’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar right before dinner.

“It’s…a long story,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his skull. “Honestly, I don’t know where to start.”

“How about the beginning?” Aeris suggested, feeling another wave of déjà vu…but it was the wrong skeleton this time.

“Heh.”

Aeris glanced over at Sans, who was watching them. His stupid shit-eating grin was still in place, but there was something else there, now, a hardness to his expression that startled Aeris. He looked almost…hostile. Predatory.

Aeris disengaged herself from Papyrus, flushing for a reason she didn’t quite understand.

“What’s so funny?” She challenged, though she looked at the floor, unable to meet his gaze. Still, she almost felt Sans shrug.

“Nothin’. It’s really not that long of a story.” Aeris looked up in time to see Sans rap his bony knuckles against his skull. “See, not too long ago, I got caught in something a little… _explosive._ ”

Papyrus huffed beside her, but Aeris didn’t get the joke. He…Sans didn’t mean that _literally,_ did he?

“There was an accident with something he was working on in Snowdin. He hit his head, and now he doesn’t remember the past three years of his life,” Frisk took over the explanation in a low voice.

Aeris froze, staring incredulously at Frisk. No. That couldn’t be right.

It couldn’t all just be… _gone_. Could it…?

Aeris’ legs began to shake. Stumbling backwards, she sank down onto Toriel’s couch, staring blankly at nothing. Three years. He had lost _three years_ of his memory.

Sans didn’t remember saving her in the woods by the river. He didn’t remember their conversations on the cliff, the nights in his room. He couldn’t recall how they slowly began to trust each other, love each other…

The best three months of Aeris’ life…and Sans had no memory of them whatsoever.

The weight of the situation bore down upon her once again, almost like she was trying to hold up the sky. But Aeris was no Atlas; she crumbled under the weight, leaning forward, tears cascading down her face.

“Oh my god,” she heard herself gasping, clutching at her hair. “Oh my _god!_ ”

“Princess—” Papyrus began, placing a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off, her head snapping up, looking straight at Sans.

“You’re telling me you don’t remember _anything?!_ ” She demanded of him, her voice reaching a hysterical pitch. “Everything you told me about time-travel, the timelines, Frisk, the human souls, my brother, telling me you loved me—you don’t remember _any_ of that?!”

Something flickered in Sans’ gaze, and for a moment, there was something, and Aeris began to hope, wish, yearn—

It disappeared as quickly as it had come. And Sans could only shrug at her.

“Sorry, Sweetheart,” he grumbled.

He didn’t sound sorry at all. And it was the final straw for Aeris.

She jumped to her feet and pushed past them all, heading for the door.

“Princess!” and “Aeris!” sounded behind her, but she couldn’t take this anymore, she couldn’t stand just sitting here and being told that the person she had fallen in love with, the person she had fought so hard to return to, against all odds…no longer remembered her. It was too much, even for her, who had finally conquered her illness. The weight of the world was too much, and since she couldn’t lift it, she was going to escape it.

The frigid night air stung her face, but she kept going, gasping in sharp breaths as she cried. Her lungs felt frozen, but she made herself run faster, farther than ever. Her illness wasn’t holding her back anymore—she could run forever.

And she wanted to. God, she wanted to. Anything had to be better than this pain, this ragged hole in her heart that was now bleeding freely, agony alive in every nerve she had. _Anything_ had to be better than this.

Without knowing how, Aeris found herself in front of Grillby’s II. She almost ran past it, in no mood to socialize. But it looked warm, and she was freezing. Wiping her face on her sleeves and making herself as presentable as possible, she sucked in a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and marched into the bar.

Almost nothing had changed here. Same building, same patrons, with a few unfamiliar faces here and there, but mostly nothing was different. It must’ve been a slow night, however, for even the usual patrons weren’t there, like any of the dogs, or that one guy and his fish girlfriend. Aeris was both grateful and lonely for that—she didn’t want to go through what she had just been forced to go through with Papyrus. Still, when heads swiveled in her direction, she pulled her hood up, letting it cover most of her face as she strode forward, taking a seat at the bar. Aeris let her weight sink into the stool, and she put her face in her hands, pushing back the rest of the tears that threatened to fall.

She couldn’t believe this. After everything she had worked so hard for…

“Whoa,” said a voice right in front of her, “you look heavy.”

Startled because it wasn’t Grillbz’ voice, Aeris looked up.

The flaming monster was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a woman manning the bar—a _human_ woman.

At least, Aeris thought she was human—she had the shape of a human woman (though the chest that was hidden by the little black vest she wore was maybe a little too large to be allowed), and her dark skin and dark hair, both different shades of brown, looked human enough.

But her eyes were a bright shade of violet, and there was a tattoo on her face that kept twisting and shifting in the dim light of the bar into indistinguishable shapes, though Aeris thought they might’ve been runes of some sort.

Aeris stared. The woman…whatever she was…smiled, and set a glass in front of her.

“Pick your poison, Sweetheart,” she urged, gesturing grandly at the wall of liquor behind her. Aeris immediately frowned.

“My name isn’t ‘Sweetheart’,” she grumbled, feeling herself pout a little. The woman bit back a snort, and Aeris glared at her.

“Right, sorry. Bad habit. Won’t happen again.” The bartender inspected her, drying a wet glass with the towel that was slung over her shoulder. “You look like you could use a drink, though. Whaddya think? Scotch? Whiskey?”

“Water’s fine,” Aeris mumbled. This made the woman’s grin widen. For some reason, it put Aeris on edge.

“Aw come on, you gotta do better than that…” The bartender put down the towel and the glass, her hands splayed across the bar as she leaned forward, grinning widely into Aeris’ face. “I’m workin’ on commission here, hun. Now what are you having…?”

Aeris’ eyes widened. Was it just her imagination, or was there something very malevolent about this woman’s aura…?

Still, she was not about to be intimidated into drinking when she didn’t want to. Her frown returning, she straightened her spine, staring stubbornly back into the woman’s face.

“You know, I could be underage,” she pointed out. “You didn’t card me at all, and you could lose your license for that.”

The woman stared at her for a full five seconds. And then she threw her head back and laughed. The sound was amused, with a twist of what might’ve been insanity, and Aeris gulped, but the woman grinned a softer grin at her after she finished laughing.

“I like you, hun. You’ve got spunk.” She leaned over, crossing her arms on the bar and giving Aeris an eyeful of her cleavage. Aeris hastily looked away. “All right, I’ll make you a deal—you have a Shirley Temple, and I’ll stop buggin’ you.”

Aeris eyed her from her peripheral vision, suspicious. “What’s in a Shirley Temple?”

The bartender shrugged. “Sprite, cherries, grenadine. Strictly non-alcoholic.” She gave a wink, and her tattoo shifted. “Despite that, it’s delicious.”

Aeris frowned. She wasn’t quite sure she trusted this bartender’s smile…but if it made her leave Aeris alone…

“…Okay,” she relented at last. The bartender grinned and went to work, mixing up the drink faster than Aeris could watch.

“Here ya go, hun,” she announced, sliding the glass towards Aeris. “On the house.”

Aeris stared at her. “I thought you said you were working on commission?”

“Yeah.” The bartender gave her a careless shrug and winked. “But I like you, so it’s on the house. If you want another one, though—and you will, trust me—you’re gonna have to pay for it.”

Since Aeris had no monster gold, she decided she would only have the one drink. Cautiously, she took a sip, and found it to be as delicious as the bartender claimed.

“Good, right?” The bartender gloated, and Aeris frowned at her.

“I thought you said you’d quit bugging me,” she reminded her. The bartender grinned.

“Fair enough. Just flag me down if you need anything else.” And she strutted away, leaving Aeris staring after her. Just what kind of woman was she…?

As Aeris sipped her drink, she felt a little of her shock melt away. Okay. So…the skeleton she loved didn’t remember her. That was bad. Very bad. But it was a thing. Now that she’d determined that…what should she do now?

Loud laughter distracted Aeris, and she looked up to find the bartender giggling at something one of the patrons had told her. Aeris raised an eyebrow at the way the guy was staring at the bartender as she slipped his tip into her vest—she clearly knew what she was doing. Aeris frowned, trying very hard not to feel self-conscious about her own figure. It had actually grown a little, since now there was nothing causing her to be malnourished—she had to constantly remind herself not to eat so much, because there were now consequences—but she had absolutely nothing on the bartender. As a woman, this irritated her a little.

“So,” she spoke when the bartender wandered in her direction, “where’s Grillbz?”

“On vacation,” the bartender said lightly, serving the monster who had just sat down next to Aeris. “He and his super-hot daughter went south for the winter.”

Aeris pondered that for a moment, sipping at her Shirley Temple. “When you say super-hot—”

“I mean it literally,” the bartender finished for her, giving her a grin. “I’m Reyna. Grillbz left the place to me while he’s gone, so if you need anything, you let me know.”

 

* * *

 

 “Wait!” One of you interrupts, throwing up a hand, as if asking a question in class. “‘Reyna’? You mean you wrote yourself—”

Something sharp and silver suddenly whizzes past you, making you choke on your tongue as you swallow the rest of your sentence. Some of you look back, and are plainly terrified to see a dagger embedded in the wall behind you.

Reyna’s grinning at you, her irises tiny red pinpricks once again.

“ _WHAT DID I SAY,_ ” she begins in her double-timbre voice, “ _ABOUT **INTERRUPTIONS…?**_ ”

You gulp and make a quick zipper motion across your lips, indicating that you will not be speaking any more…perhaps ever. Reyna grins at you for a few more seconds, just to make sure you got the message, before her eyes return to her book.

“ _GOOD_. Ahem…as I was saying…”

 

* * *

 

“And how do you know Grillbz?” Aeris wanted to know, immensely curious as to how a human—well, the jury might still be out on that—came to take control of Grillby’s II.

Reyna smirked, something mysterious alight in her violet eyes.

“We’re old friends,” she replied. Something about her tone made Aeris squint suspiciously at her…but considering she didn’t know enough to disprove it, she had to drop it for now, and file it away for later.

“And you’re…” Aeris struggled to come up with a way to say this politely; she didn’t want Reyna taking offense if it turned out she was indeed inhuman…but then again, she might take offense anyway over the fact that Aeris had to ask. When Reyna quirked a brow at her, however, Aeris just decided to plunge in. “You’re…human, right?”

Reyna grinned that slightly manic grin again.

“I am a bartender,” she replied. Aeris frowned at her—what a strange way to make a distinction while avoiding her question altogether. What was that supposed to mean, exactly?

“But enough about me,” Reyna said, cutting off any attempt Aeris might have made to question her further and slumping against the bar again, her hands pressed against her cheeks, making her face look squashed. “Let’s talk about you. What brings you by tonight? Man troubles?”

Aeris felt her face flush. She sipped at her Shirley Temple to avoid answering for a moment. She didn’t see why she should answer in the first place—this strange bartender woman wasn’t her friend. Aeris didn’t owe her any explanation.

Reyna waited as she drank, making Aeris feel awkward with her stare. Finally, she set her glass down on the bar with a sigh.

“I don’t think “man” is the right word,” she admitted a little grudgingly.

Reyna’s face split into a grin as she sat up. “Ohhhh. Beast troubles, then. Much more interesting. Come on, gimme the dirt.”

Aeris frowned. “I don’t think there’s much to tell, dirt-wise.”

“Really?” Reyna’s face fell into a pout, her tattoo twisting. “That’s boring.”

“So sorry that my miserable love life is failing to entertain you,” Aeris grumbled, glaring at the bar. Reyna laughed.

“My bad, girl. I didn’t mean it like that.” She folded her arms, making her bust swell over them, and grinned. “I just meant that it’s too bad you don’t feel like sharing.” Reyna glanced away, her grin softening into a smirk. “After all, amnesia is a bitch of a problem to overcome, isn’t it?”

Aeris’ eyes snapped to the bartender, wide with surprise. What…did she just say…?

“…I never said anything about amnesia,” Aeris said quietly, an ominous feeling beginning to swell within her as she looked at Reyna. Clearly, she knew more than she was letting on—far too much, in fact. Aeris was just about to interrogate her on how in the world she could possibly know amnesia was involved, when Reyna looked at her. Her eyes were wide, the pupils narrow, and she was grinning a grin that was truly terrifying. Startled, Aeris forgot what she was about to say.

“Didn’t you?” Reyna asked her in a soft, silky voice that Aeris perceived as dangerous…at first. “Didn’t you mention something about amnesia just now…?”

Aeris frowned. Had she? Did she just mention it?

“I don’t…” she began, intending to deny it. But the longer she looked into Reyna’s strange eyes, the more she began to recall—yes, she did mention amnesia, didn’t she? She was complaining about her troubles, and the word ‘amnesia’ slipped out. Sans had amnesia…he didn’t remember her…

Someone called Reyna’s name from the other end of the bar. She looked away, and Aeris blinked, more than a little disoriented. What were they talking about?

“Hang on,” Reyna called to the monster who was summoning her, and she glanced back at Aeris. “I’mma go take care that guy real quick, but when I get back, I wanna know everything else about your skelebae, all right? There’s another free drink in it for you if you comply,” she added with a wink before she turned away, moving to the other end of the bar. Aeris gave her suddenly hazy head a sharp shake. What was wrong with her?

Thinking Reyna might’ve lied about the alcohol content in Shirley Temples, Aeris pushed her almost empty glass away. She spun around on her stool to face the door, thinking about leaving…but where would she go? She couldn’t go back to Toriel’s—the boys were having their movie night there, if she hadn’t wrecked it. Maybe she could head to Undyne and Alphys’ lab instead, then. They probably knew she was back by now—Papyrus had probably called and informed them—

As if just thinking their names could summon them, the door of the bar was suddenly kicked in, and Undyne stomped in, followed closely by Alphys.

“A-HA!!” The fish lady roared, pointing an accusing finger at Aeris. Aeris gulped as Undyne rushed forward, thinking she was about to be suplexed for leaving so suddenly and with little explanation—

But her fears were unfounded (for the most part) as Undyne pulled her into a rib-cracking hug.

“Where the _hell_ have you been, you punk?!” She demanded to know, shaking Aeris. “We all thought you were worm food!! We’ve been mourning your death for three years now!!! And you couldn’t think to _call_ anybody?!”

“Can’t…breathe…” Aeris wheezed at the same time Alphys yelped,

“Undyne, let go! You’ll make her have a coughing fit!!”

Undyne abruptly released Aeris, and she stumbled back into the bar, gasping for air. Undyne and Alphys eyed her apprehensively, Alphys pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, but Aeris waved a hand at them, her breathing returning to normal.

“I’m okay,” she panted, pushing herself to stand up straight. “I’m fine. There’s no more coughing.”

“No more…?” Alphys’ eyes lit up. “Then…you’re cured?!”

“Mm-hm,” Aeris confirmed, nodding. And now Alphys rushed her, hugging her around the middle. It seemed tonight was a night for hugs.

“That’s so great!!! I mean, when you vanished three years ago, w-we all assumed…b-but you went home after all!! And now you’re here!! And you’re fine!!! Oh!! This is better than the Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 4 finale!!!”

“Is that still going strong?” Aeris asked, amused and a little sad. “I had to stop watching to focus on my health…”

“W-well, they cancelled it after the fourth one,” Alphys admitted, looking sorely disappointed. “B-but there are a few new shows I’ve gotten into, and now that you’re back, I can’t _wait_ to show you—”

“All right, all right, break it up,” Reyna suddenly interrupted, leaning over the bar and talking over Alphys’ excited chatter. “You guys are gettin’ a little too rowdy, so either settle down or take it outside.”

“It’s not like we’re fighting or anything,” Undyne pointed out with a frown at the bartender.

Reyna grinned her frightening grin. “You heard me, Gills.”

Undyne bared her teeth at Reyna before turning her back on her with a disgusted noise. “Let’s go. That chick gives me the creeps.”

“Really?” Aeris asked, blinking in surprise. “I think she’s nice.”

As Undyne and Alphys stared at her, Aeris turned to give Reyna a small smile. “Thanks for the drink, Reyna. And, uh, for the sympathy.”

Reyna grinned again, this one softer. “No prob, hun. You come back anytime, y’hear? I’m always here to listen.”

“Is that really okay? I don’t want to interrupt your work,” Aeris said, biting her lip. Reyna’s grin widened.

“You’re so cute. But it’s fine. After all…” She leaned her head into her hand, a mischievous smirk on her lips, as if she and Aeris were sharing a secret. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

The word sent a rush of warmth through Aeris, and she beamed at Reyna.

“Yeah. Friends.”

She allowed Undyne and Alphys to steer her out of the bar after that, and she glanced back to say one final farewell to Reyna for the night.

Reyna raised a hand, her fingers fluttering in a lazy wave.

“See you soon,” she promised with a wink.

And Aeris could tell that she meant that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Knocks on the "Self-Insert" dumpster*
> 
> Move over. I'm coming in, and I have dip. *Topples in*
> 
> ~Reyna


	3. Lace Up Your Shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sunday chapter???
> 
> Don't get used to it. An earthquake woke me up, so now I'm up and procrastinating on my grocery shopping. :P
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Reyna

Undyne and Alphys let Aeris stay on their couch for the night. Aeris felt bad about this, despite their numerous assurances that it was fine—she felt like she was intruding upon their private time. At least Aeris was out of the way at Toriel’s, where she had a room to herself…though that didn’t exactly stop her from walking in on Toriel and Asgore, did it? Still, though, at least there was privacy. And at Papyrus’ and Sans’—

Aeris stopped the thought. Thinking about Sans hurt too much right now.

Luckily, Undyne had provided a good distraction—a video game in which anime characters fought over some kind of sword or something…Aeris, never being a video game buff herself, forgot the name as soon as Undyne told it to her. It had something to do with spirits, she thought… Anyway, Undyne was really into it. Aeris was a dreadful player, and kept getting thrashed by the fish lady, so she eventually let Alphys take over, who was evenly matched with Undyne. It was actually fascinating to watch them play together—Alphys got just as competitive as Undyne, if not more, and when she won, she didn’t hesitate to gloat as much as Undyne would. It was hilarious, and Aeris was so happy to find them still enjoying each other’s company after all these years.

“Alphys,” Aeris began as the triceratops and the fish lady began a new round with a scantily-clad whip lady and a creepy freak who walked around on his tip-toes in full bondage gear with knives for hands, like some twisted Edward Scissorhands, “about Sans…”

Alphys dropped her controller, and the whip lady was knocked violently out of the ring by the creepy bondage guy.

“HA! RING OUT, PUNK!” Undyne declared, and promptly got up to do her victory dance. Ignoring her for the moment, Alphys reached down and pressed the start button on her controller, causing the game to pause. She pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose and peered nervously over at Aeris.

“About Sans?” She quoted, and Undyne stopped mid-dance, suddenly looking wary. Aeris glanced between them as they looked at each other, frowning at the faces they were making. Why did they look so guilty?

“…He doesn’t remember me,” she said quietly, her eyes dropping to her lap. Tears stung her eyes once again, but she stubbornly pushed them back, refusing to let them fall. “Frisk said he had some sort of accident…?”

Undyne looked at Alphys, who gulped and nodded. “Yeah, um. D-did he ever tell you about this, um, machine he kept in a storage unit behind his house in the Underground…?”

“The time machine,” Aeris confirmed, nodding. Alphys looked a little surprised, but she continued.

“R-right. Well, um, y’see…a few weeks ago…he was working on it, and it, um, well, it, uh—”

“It went boom,” Undyne finished baldly. Aeris’ eyes widened.

“You mean…it _exploded?_ ” She yelped, her voice reaching an octave higher than her usual one. When Alphys and Undyne nodded, her mouth fell open. “And he _survived?!_ ”

“It really was a miracle,” Undyne commented gravely. “Trust me, we were as surprised as you are.”

“Well, he didn’t survive completely,” Alphys bothered to correct, fidgeting with her glasses again. “As you probably already know…Sans doesn’t remember the last three years.”

Aeris nodded, unable to speak for a moment. She made herself close her eyes and take a deep breath, steeling herself, before she continued. “So…have you guys been doing anything to help him get his memory back…?”

There was another awkward pause.

“W-well,” Alphys began, her stutter incredibly telling, “w-we made sure to r-remind him of the big stuff, you know? Like T-Toriel and Asgore getting remarried, a-and—”

“Alphys.” Aeris cut through her stuttering, slowly opening her eyes to look at the triceratops. She could feel the accusation in her own gaze as she asked slowly, “why doesn’t Sans know who I am?”

“Well…he forgot!” Undyne replied, as if that was enough of an explanation. Aeris’ gaze shifted to her next, beginning to glare.

“Then why wasn’t he reminded of me?” She asked, her voice getting louder with every word. “Don’t I count as ‘big stuff’?”

“Aeris—” Alphys began, but Aeris talked over her.

“Apparently not, since he still has no idea who I am. Guess I wasn’t important enough to be remembered, was I?”

“That isn’t—”

“And now I come back to find out that not only does he not remember me, but he doesn’t even _care_ that he doesn’t remember me! Thanks a lot for that, guys! I thought we were friends!”

“We thought you were _dead!_ ” Undyne shouted, stomping her foot and making the floor rumble ominously. “We thought you were gone, and that you weren’t coming back! And he was _miserable,_ Aeris! He was a complete wreck without you, so once we found out that he didn’t remember you, yeah, we let it go! We just wanted him to be happy, so don’t scream at us like we did it to get back at you or something! You didn’t have to watch him fall apart for _three whole years_ while you were off who-knows-where, perfectly fine—”

“I was _dying,_ Undyne!” Aeris cried, stomping her foot as well, though it was much less impressive than when Undyne did it. “Don’t make it sound like I was just off on my own…doing…whatever…”

Aeris felt her argument fall apart before she even finished it. In fact, that’s _exactly_ what she did last year—she had gone off on her own, travelling to all the places she thought she’d never get to see. But it was different—she _had_ to do it. She _owed_ it to herself to experience all the things she wanted to before she finally settled down here for good, like she planned.

And yet, now that she thought about her actions again…why did she feel so incredibly selfish?

Undyne scowled at her.

“The point is, you were _still_ able to use a phone. But did we get one call? No. We heard nothing from you for _three years_ , and now you show up like you expect everything to be fine and for things to go back to normal! News flash, Aeris: as time goes on, things change. We’ve changed. And Sans changed.”

The fish lady folded her arms and huffed. “I’m sorry we let Sans forget about you, all right? But it wasn’t our fault he forgot you in the first place…and we just wanted him to be happy. So don’t blame us for what _you_ weren’t here to fix.”

She was right. Undyne was absolutely right. Aeris had no right to blame them for doing what they thought was right for Sans. Aeris wasn’t here to see what he was like after they believed she died. She wasn’t here to make it better. And she wasn’t here to prevent whatever it was he did to the time machine that made it explode, causing his memory loss in the first place.

Aeris could not blame them for what happened. Rationally, she knew that.

But it was late, Aeris was hurt, and she was not in a very rational place right now.

She got to her feet and turned her back on Alphys and Undyne, putting on her jacket as she walked stiffly to the door. She thought she might’ve heard Alphys start to call out to her, but the door slammed shut behind her, muffling any and all other sounds.

For the second time that night, Aeris found herself out in the cold with nowhere to go. Folding her arms, she began to march through the snow, ignoring the bitter wind as it blew around her, tearing the roses from her hair. And she had had to work up so much courage just to dare to wear red again…what a wasted effort. Clearly, on her, the color was cursed.

Aeris blinked back tears as she marched, her anger fading, replaced by an avalanche of guilt. She had no right to speak to Undyne that way, and now she had offended her, probably ruining whatever semblance of friendship they had left. And poor Alphys…Aeris shouldn’t have shouted at her, either. And Papyrus and Frisk were probably worried about her, even if Alphys and Undyne had told them where she would be. Where she wasn’t anymore.

Aeris sighed, and again, for the second time that night, she found herself on the cliff overlooking the sky and sea. But whereas last time, she had been here trying to give herself the courage to march over to Sans’ and Papyrus’ house, now she was here, drowning in despair, her eyes on the churning sea below, wondering just how cold the water was, and if it could possibly be any colder than her heart right now—

“Gonna jump?”

Aeris yelped, jumping about a foot in the air before she whirled around, cursing déjà vu and all of its principles.

But it wasn’t Sans this time who had startled her.

It was Reyna.

“Whoa,” she said, raising an eyebrow and a hand, as if to ward Aeris off. “Chill, girl. I was just kidding.”

“You…you scared me,” Aeris accused, a hand over her heart. Reyna grinned mischievously.

“My bad.”

Aeris stared at her. Something was different. The longer she stared, the more it became clear—the tattoo on Reyna’s face was gone, and her eyes were dark brown. Aeris blinked in surprise.

“What happened to your eyes?”

Reyna quirked a brow once more.

“Why? Are they missing?” She asked in a dry tone. Under better circumstances, Aeris would’ve smiled.

“They’re normal,” she emphasized. “As in, not purple anymore? And your tattoo—”

“Ohhh.” Reyna snickered, her hands in her pockets as she grinned at Aeris. “That was nothing but colored contacts and make-up, hun. It makes me a more mysterious bartender, don’t you think?”

Aeris frowned. The colored contacts were believable, sure, but how did she explain the moving tattoo? Make-up couldn’t do that, as far as Aeris knew…

“What’re you doing out here?” She asked, letting the tattoo issue be for now. Again, Reyna’s eyebrows raised.

“What’s it look like? The bar’s closed for the night. I’m going home.” Before Aeris could fully process the fact that Reyna lived around here, she watched the bartender frown. “More importantly, what’re _you_ doing out here? Didn’t I see you leave with Gills and Glasses earlier?”

Aeris’ brow furrowed. She didn’t know if those nicknames were meant to be insulting or not, but with their addition, she just realized who Reyna reminded her of, and she didn’t like it.

“Their names are Undyne and Alphys,” she bothered to correct the strange bartender. Her eyes fell to the ground as she added, “…and we kind of had a fight.”

“…Ah. I see.” Said Reyna. Aeris looked up, confused by her tone. She sounded almost…expectant. As if she knew this would happen.

Reyna jerked her head the way she was walking. “Well, you planning on spending the night out in the snow? ‘Cause if not, I’ve got a warmer option. There’s a spare room at my place you can use.”

Aeris blinked in surprise. Was this woman…actually offering her a place to sleep?

“…You just met me today,” Aeris pointed out, giving Reyna a confused look. “Why would you just…offer to let me sleep at your home? I could be mentally unstable, you know. Or a serial killer.”

“Serial killers _are_ mentally unstable,” Reyna returned, her grin easy-going for a moment before it turned frightening. “Besides…what are the odds that we’re _both_ serial killers?”

Aeris felt the blood drain from her face.

“Please be kidding,” she requested. Reyna laughed.

“Don’t worry, I quit a long time ago, and I go to a support group meeting every Thursday.” She jerked her head again, taking a step down the path she was walking. “You coming?”

Aeris hesitated. This was very much against her better judgement. Reyna was nice, sure, but nice didn’t mean mentally sound…

Reyna smiled, as if she sensed Aeris’ discomfort and was trying to soothe her. “Hey, relax.” She raised her eyebrows at Aeris. “Aren’t we friends?”

Friends. Right. They were friends.

A tremulous smile formed on Aeris’ lips as she stepped forward. It was surprising to find how much taller she was than Reyna. “Well, when you put it that way…”

 

* * *

 

Reyna’s place was nothing like what Aeris expected. At most, she was expecting some sort of sub-par apartment…at worst, a crypt. But Reyna’s place was neither of those things.

Reyna’s place didn’t even fall into a spectrum between the two things.

“You live in _tree?_ ”

It was a minimal-looking wooden house nestled high in the branches of a large oak. Aeris squinted in the darkness, but even in the moonlight, she couldn’t make out much of the place. She just knew that this had to be insanity.

Reyna snickered at Aeris’ reaction. “What, you’ve never heard of treehouses?”

“Sure…when you’re a _kid_ , not when you’re…how old are you?”

“Twenty-three,” Reyna responded promptly, and Aeris was shocked to find that Reyna was only a year older than her. She slipped her hands and feet into convenient-looking grooves in the tree, climbing about three steps before she reached something jutting out from the bark of the tree—Aeris realized with a shock that they were stairs. “Come on up. It’s easy once you get past the first part.”

“I did not sign up for splinters,” Aeris grumbled under her breath. But, seeing as how she had nowhere else to go, she sighed and squared her shoulders, placing her hands and feet in the footholds Reyna just climbed up. The bartender helped her up to the stairs, and they climbed them as the stairs wrapped around the trunk of the tree, leading up to the house. Aeris clutched the rope that hung next to the staircase, her fingers stiff from her tight grip, but she didn’t dare loosen it—it would be just her luck to lose her footing and topple over at exactly the wrong moment. She just kept a firm grip and carefully placed her feet on the stairs, testing each one before she dared to put weight on it. Reyna clearly did not share her concern—her hands were in the pockets of her jacket, and she climbed the steps rapidly, as if training for boot camp.

“So…a tree…” Aeris began, not sure where exactly to go with that. Reyna glanced over her shoulder at her with a grin.

“I hate people,” she explained, and Aeris couldn’t tell whether she was kidding or not as she turned back around. “A house in a tree discourages unwanted visitors, don’t you think?”

“Especially the mailman,” Aeris mumbled, keeping her eyes firmly on Reyna’s back, not daring to look down. “I’m guessing you don’t have any running water or electricity in there, then?”

Reyna snorted another laugh as the staircase began to level out.

“Relax, hun. I have all the amenities. I promised you a warm place, did I not?”

“Yeah, but—”

Aeris cut herself off, blinking in surprise. The front of the tree house looked just like any other house—it even had siding, a brass door knocker, and a welcome mat…though as Aeris looked closer, she could see the mat actually said “Fuck Off”.

“Charming,” she said without thinking, but Reyna just snickered and opened the door.

“ _Tadaima~_ ” she sang into the dark space as she stepped in. Aeris wondered for a moment who she was talking to, and was about to ask when the inside of the house just…came to life. The lights cut on, there was a whirring sound, and Aeris felt a rush of heat wash over herself as she stepped inside after Reyna. It was a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside.

“ _O-kairi nasai,_ Reyna _-sama,_ ” said a voice from nowhere that reverberated through the house; Aeris got the weirdest feeling that it _was_ the house. “ _Cocoa o nomitai desu ka?_ ”

“ _Domo,_ ” Reyna replied, and Aeris jumped as a machine sitting on a counter next to them beeped. It was a coffee maker, one of the fancy one-cup ones, and Reyna removed a steaming mug from it, the smell of chocolate wafting through the air. Aeris watched with wide eyes as Reyna took a sip, sighing in satisfaction. “Shut the door, please,” she said, switching from the foreign language she’d been speaking—Japanese, if Aeris wasn’t mistaken—to English, eyeing Aeris from behind her mug.

“Oh, sorry,” Aeris mumbled, and she hastened to shut the door. Just as she reached it, however, the door shut on its own.

“I was talking to Kokoro, actually,” Reyna said from behind Aeris as she stood there frozen, staring at the door. Aeris didn’t need to turn around and look to tell that Reyna was amused. Slowly, she turned, giving Reyna an apprehensive look.

“Kokoro?”

“The house,” she explained, waving a hand at the ceiling. “Say hi, Kokoro- _chan_.”

“Good evening, miss,” replied the house, and Aeris stared around with wide eyes. “Would you like some hot cocoa?”

“…Okay?” Aeris said, a little uncertainly, and another mug of hot cocoa was produced from the one-cup coffee machine. Aeris took it, staring down at the mug. It was hot chocolate all right. Carefully, she blew on it and took a sip. It was delicious.

Reyna was making herself comfortable. She shrugged out of her jacket and dropped it to the floor, where it would have landed…if it didn’t float over to the coat rack in the corner. The same thing happened with the boots she kicked off, but they walked themselves over to the door and settled themselves on the mat, apparently to dutifully await Reyna when she decided to wear them again. Reyna herself flopped down on the couch, her living room looking way too modern to belong in a tree house, with a sunken floor and a seventy-inch flat-screen T.V., the furniture looking sleek yet comfortable. Still drinking from her mug, Reyna snapped her fingers, and the T.V. came on, immediately broadcasting some kind of sitcom.

Her brain beginning to overload, Aeris wandered around, looking at everything. The kitchen was modern-looking as well, done in black marble and stainless steel. Papyrus’ eye sockets would pop out of his skull if he could see such a set-up, and Aeris smiled at the thought. The main area consisted of the living room sunken into the middle of the floor, a couple bookcases that reached all the way up to the ceiling, jam-packed with books, and a continuous window in the back wall, which offered a fantastic view of the stars. Aeris stared out at the view, completely impressed. Sure, she was a privileged child who grew up with a lot of the most expensive niceties money could buy, but this…this was something on a completely different level.

“How…” she began, turning to Reyna, and then pausing, unsure of how to ask the question. Reyna’s gaze switched to her, her lips wrapped around her mug.

“Hmm?” She hummed, encouraging Aeris.

“How are…you doing this? The whole, talking house, snapping-and-the-T.V.-comes-on thing?” Aeris asked, waving her free hand about in a general manner. Reyna lowered her mug from her lips, and they twisted into a smirk.

“Magic,” she replied, and then left it at that. Aeris’ eye gave an involuntary twitch.

“So then…you’re _not_ human…?”

Reyna grinned. “I am a bartender,” she replied, repeating herself from earlier. Aeris scowled at her.

“Be serious.”

“I am serious. You saw me working earlier, didn’t you?”

Aeris huffed, rubbing the side of her head. Clearly, she would not be getting a straight answer from Reyna. So she gave up and flopped down on the couch next to her, her arms folded, lips pouting. Reyna laughed at her expression.

“Don’t look so disappointed.” She emptied her mug, and then let go of it. Aeris lurched forward, startled, but the mug just floated merrily through the air before landing in the sink. Aeris stared, her mouth coming open with a pop. Reyna snickered again. “It’s probably better that you don’t know everything. Trust me.”

She jerked her thumb down the hall. “Bathroom’s on the left, spare room’s the second door on the right. I’m gonna stay up a little while longer, but if you wanna go to bed, be my guest.”

Aeris gave the hall a curious glance, and while part of her was eager to check out the rest of the house, most of her sagged into the couch, unwilling to be alone right now.

“I’m not tired,” she mumbled, staring unseeingly at the T.V., where some blonde guy in a suit was doing some outrageous prank on his friends. She felt Reyna staring at the side of her face, but ignored her, trying to follow the sitcom’s storyline. From the corner of her eye, she saw Reyna doing some sort of flicking motion with her fingers. Abruptly, the T.V. muted itself.

As Aeris stared in surprise, Reyna turned towards her, her folded arms resting on the back of the couch, her chin resting on her forearms. She studied Aeris, brows raised, dark brown eyes alight with interest.

“Okay…should I ask, or are you gonna tell me?” She questioned.

Aeris sighed, giving her a look. “I don’t know what else you want me to tell you. I already explained about the amnesia—”

“Right, what’s the skelebae’s name again?”

Aeris gave her an odd look before replying, “Sans.”

“Oh.” Reyna’s tone changed, and her grin grew frightening. “ _That_ fucker.”

Aeris stared at her. “…I take it…you don’t like him…?”

Reyna sighed gustily, her bangs becoming aloft for a few seconds. “Let’s just say that he wasn’t too keen on me taking over Grillby’s while Grillbz is on vacation.” Her grin grew, looking like it might crack her face. “He’s been giving me hell at work every time he comes in. Thank god I only work nights. Burgerpants can deal with that pain in the ass during the day.”

Aeris could imagine that. After all, Sans wasn’t particularly fond of humans…if that’s really what Reyna was…and Grillby’s II was like sacred ground to him. Having a (maybe) human take over, even for a short time, probably rattled his bones quite a bit.

“Honestly,” Reyna began, and Aeris felt a large rant coming on, “I don’t get it. What do you see in that bonehead? He’s _literally_ just bones.”

“He’s more than that,” Aeris began, becoming indignant on Sans’ behalf. “He’s thoughtful, and sweet, and he gets flustered easily, which is really cute—”

“We talkin’ about the same skeleton?” Reyna asked, closing an eye as she rested her head against her propped up fist. “Because literally none of what you just said fits the Sans I have the misfortune of knowing.”

Aeris sighed, staring down into her mug of hot chocolate, which was growing cold. “…That’s how he used to be,” she corrected herself quietly, sadly. “Before…”

“Ah.” Reyna glanced away, out at the windows. She reached into her back pocket and withdrew a cigarette pack, pulling out a cigarette and slipping it between her lips. But she didn’t light it. After a moment, her gaze returned to Aeris. “So. What’re you gonna do about it?”

Aeris frowned. “What do you mean? There’s nothing I _can_ do about it, is there? He has amnesia. There’s no cure for that.”

“Isn’t that what they used to say about your illness?” Reyna asked. Aeris’ frown deepened. Did she tell Reyna about that? Hmm, she must have. How else would she know?

“It’s different,” she insisted, looking away from Reyna and folding her arms defensively. “There’s no way I can bring his memory of me back. And honestly…I’m beginning to question whether or not it was really a good idea to come back here after all.”

There was silence for a moment. Aeris stared down at her lap, her despair spiraling. She really shouldn’t have come back. Sans was doing just fine without her. Maybe that was the real reason she was so upset—whereas she had come back against all odds for Sans, he was perfectly content to live his life without her. Of course, he didn’t know what he was missing, but even so…

“How fast’re you, Aeris?”

Aeris blinked, pulled out of her thoughts by the random question. She glanced over at Reyna, who was chewing on the end of her cigarette, and gave her a strange look.

“What?”

“How fast are you?”

Reyna was completely serious about this question—there was no trace of her grin to be found. Aeris stared at her, trying to ferret out the intent behind the question…but searching Reyna’s face was like hitting a wall—she got nothing from it except a mild headache.

“Um…I don’t know?” Aeris frowned, biting her lip. “Not too fast, I guess? I wasn’t exactly very active as a child—”

“Yeah? Hm.” Reyna twirled the cigarette in her mouth around with her tongue. “Well, it doesn’t really matter, I guess. You could be Olympics-fast, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

Her eyebrows raised at Aeris. “You can only outrun your problems for so long before they catch up.”

Aeris stared back at her, realizing what she was getting at. Heat flooded her face, and she became indignant.

“I am _not_ running away from my problems!”

Reyna’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. “Oh no?”

“No!” How dare she act like she knew Aeris—friends or not, she didn’t know Aeris from Eve, and it was incredibly insulting of Reyna to act like this. But, on another note, Aeris was beginning to understand why Sans had had so much trouble with her reading him so easily… “Okay, yes, I left three years ago, but I left to get better, and I’m back now!”

“Uh-huh.” Reyna raised her head from her fist, raising a finger. “Now, this was _after_ you ran from your parents to keep them from cramming pills and shit down your throat to try and kill your illness, right?”

Aeris flushed deeper. “Well, yeah, but—”

“And then today, you ran from the smiley bone-bag because you got upset that he doesn’t remember you,” Reyna added, raising another finger. Shame began to bubble in Aeris’ gut, but she ignored it, remaining stubborn.

“I was emotionally compromised—” she began hotly, but Reyna cut her off.

“ _And_ I found you out in the snow tonight because you ran from Gills and Glasses after a fight.” She glanced at her three raised fingers, and then to Aeris, her expression wry. “Wow. This tally really isn’t going your way, is it?”

Aeris’ face was completely red with rage and mortification. She stood up, ready to storm away, before she realized she’d only be proving Reyna’s point further. Hating this, she closed her eyes and counted to ten, slowly sitting back down onto the couch. It was annoying, frustrating, and altogether unappreciated to have a virtual stranger—friends or not—pin her with such deadly accuracy. She _definitely_ felt Sans’ previous pain over this now.

Sighing through her nose, Aeris opened her eyes. Reyna was inspecting her nails, the tip of her cigarette smoking. Odd…Aeris hadn’t heard her light it. Nor could she smell the tobacco burning…

Aeris’ head was beginning to hurt. This night had gone on too long.

“Okay,” she sighed, fixing Reyna with a pouting glare as she said stiffly, “I guess…you may have a point. I…run from difficult things.”

Reyna grinned around her cigarette. “The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem,” she recited, blowing smoke into the air. Aeris leaned back, but the smoke didn’t linger, and again, there was no smell. Was this magic, too? “So, I repeat: what are you gonna do?”

Aeris looked down, her arms folding around herself again. It was a quiet moment before she spoke.

“…I don’t know,” she said in a low voice.

She didn’t know what to do. She had come back here, expecting to deal with entirely different problems…but now she was faced with a mountain that looked virtually unclimbable. Sans had no memory of her, their friends hadn’t told him about her, and might not even want to, and he seemed even less interested in her than the first time they’d met. How was she supposed to fix this? And most important of all: after finding all this out, did she even want to try?

“Reyna- _sama_ ,” The house suddenly spoke, sounding awfully concerned for something that was supposed to be inanimate, “please don’t smoke in the house.”

“Ah… _gomen ne,_ Kokoro- _chan_ ,” Reyna said, her tone apologetic as she pushed herself up from the couch. She exhaled smoke one more time before her gaze went to Aeris. “I’m gonna take this outside, then I’m gonna hop in the shower and maybe play some video games before I turn in for the night. Everything should be set up in your room, and you can help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge. Or,” she said, her tone turning dry, “you can just sit on this couch and agonize all night, if that’s your thing, too.”

Aeris glared at her. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” Reyna asked, moving over to the kitchen. “Kokoro, _ocha onegaishimasu._ ”

The coffee maker beeped once more, producing a smaller mug filled with something that smelled herbal. Reyna took a sip and sighed in content. Aeris hated how effortless her confidence seemed.

“Stop acting like you know better than me,” she said, pouting again and hating the habit, because it now made her feel childish. “You’re only a year older than me. It’s not fair for you to sound so wise.”

Reyna grinned at her. “I’m not all that wise, hun. I just cheat.”

Aeris had no idea what she meant by that. She decided not to get into it, merely watching as Reyna shrugged into her jacket and stuffed her feet back into her boots. It was as she was reaching for the door knob that Aeris spoke.

“What do _you_ think I should do?”

Reyna paused, glancing over at Aeris from the corner of her eye, considering her.

“…You really want my advice?” She asked, her tone suggesting she sincerely doubted it. Aeris gave a shrug.

“It’s better than nothing,” she admitted. Reyna turned to face her, her cigarette in one hand, her mug of tea in the other. Her face was serious for a moment…and then it split into a wicked grin.

“I think you should fuck the skelebae,” she said baldly. If Aeris had been drinking anything, it would’ve been part of a spit take. She stared at Reyna, her mouth slightly open, red blooming in her cheeks.

“ _What?!_ ” She hissed, though she knew she hadn’t misunderstood. Reyna laughed at her expression.

“Oh yeah! Who cares if he doesn’t remember you? If you just bang ‘em a couple times, he’ll never forgetcha again! It’s not like you haven’t thought about fucking his skeleton brains out before, right?”

As Aeris’ face reached the furnace level of heat, Reyna smirked, lifting her mug to her lips.

“But, y’know…that’s probably none of my business.” Sipping her tea, Reyna stepped out of the house, leaving Aeris to stew in her extreme embarrassment for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Cackles* My self-indulgent nonsense knows no bounds. Poor Aeris. XD
> 
> The skelebae will appear in the next chapter, I promise~
> 
> ~Reyna


	4. Taking Over Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who asked for a hella long chapter?
> 
> No one?
> 
> Too bad.
> 
> ~Reyna

When the sun rose the next day, Aeris rose with it. And somehow, she finally knew what she was going to do.

She fought free of her bed, fighting the urge for more sleep. The guest room was surprisingly comfy, considering it was a guest room. With a full-sized canopy bed with no less than four pillows, plush yellow carpeting, and beautiful flower designs on the walls, Aeris got the strangest feeling that this room was…meant for her. But that couldn’t be. After all, Reyna had only met her last night. There was no way she could’ve known to have a room suited to Aeris’ tastes made before she even knew her…

But, then again, this wasn’t a normal house either, was it? Who knows—maybe it could read Aeris’ preferences and formed the room that way? Aeris still had no idea how it worked, exactly.

Vowing to ask Reyna later, Aeris tiptoed her way to the bathroom, which was just as luxurious as her room, containing a large tub with built-in jet sprays, and a shower in the corner with five different types of water pressure. Impressed, Aeris decided to unwind with a bath, feeling like she was in a five-star hotel rather than someone’s house. She allowed herself to sit for a while, enjoying the warmth as it seeped into her skin, relaxing her. She was going to need to be as calm as possible, with the day she was about to face.

When she returned to her room, Aeris was surprised to find a fresh set of clothes laid out on her bed, which was made. Huh…was Reyna secretly a mothering type? Aeris honestly didn’t expect it of her…

The memory of Reyna’s jacket floating to the coat rack after she dropped it last night made Aeris second-guess herself. Maybe it was actually the house cleaning up after her the way it seemed to pick up after Reyna. Shrugging, Aeris tried on the new jeans, surprised to find that they fit perfectly. Curiouser and curiouser.

Aeris found Reyna sitting on a stool at the island in her kitchen. She yawned widely in lieu of a hello. 

“Oh, the clothes fit,” she mumbled, her eyes closing as her head rested in the palm of her hand, her free hand wrapped around a mug of coffee. “Good.”

“Are these yours?” Aeris asked, plucking at the white peasant top she now wore. Reyna gave a loud snort.

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m definitely as tall as you,” she said dryly, drinking from her mug. “And my boobs _definitely_ wouldn’t be spilling out over the top of that shirt. The clothes are absolutely mine. Ya got me.”

Aeris raised her eyebrows. Okay, the attitude wasn’t appreciated. Still, since Reyna had dark circles under her eyes, she chalked it up to exhaustion and let it go.

“Someone’s not a morning person,” she remarked, and Reyna grunted. “What time did you go to bed last night?”

“I didn’t.” Aeris stared as Reyna rubbed at her eyes, giving another huge yawn. “This boss fight was being a bitch, and I was so mad that I couldn’t sleep. I spent the whole night trying to beat it, and did it just an hour ago.”

“Wow. You must really like your video games,” Aeris remarked, giving Reyna a wary look. Reyna opened her eyes, looking blearily over at Aeris.

“They’re my one escape when I have none.” She drained her mug and set it down on the island, turning to Aeris. “So. You figure out what you’re going to do?”

Aeris sobered at this turn in the conversation. “Well…yes and no,” she admitted.

Reyna quirked a brow. “Gonna lace up your running shoes, hun?”

Aeris glared at her. “No. I’m not running away. I just…don’t know what I’m doing yet, necessarily. But I _do_ know that I’m not giving up.”

Reyna grinned a tired grin at this. “Atta girl. I say you march right over to his house, kick the door down, grab him by his collar, drag him upstairs to his room, lock the door, and fu—”

“Please stop,” Aeris said loudly, at the same time Kokoro said in a long-suffering voice, “Reyna- _sama_ , it is far too early for that kind of language.”

Reyna sucked her teeth. “It’s like I’m living with two moms, jeez. All right, fine. I’m going to bed.” She hopped off the stool and padded past Aeris before she paused, seeming to remember something. “Oh yeah—Kokoro- _chan_ : register guest as temporary roommate. Name: Aeris Crown.”

Aeris felt the same kind of heat from last night rush over her, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. She stood completely still until the feeling passed, and Kokoro spoke.

“Registered: Aeris Crown, temporary roommate.”

Aeris blinked at Reyna’s back. “What was that about?”

“It’s for when you come back and I’m not here,” Reyna said, turning back to Aeris as she stifled a yawn. “That way, the magic will activate without me having to be here. And the door’s always unlocked, so you don’t need a key.”

“Oh.” Aeris tugged on a strand of her hair. “What…makes you think I’m coming back, though?”

Reyna was already heading down the hall, but she spared Aeris a passing grin. “Just a feeling. G’night, hun.”

“Good morning,” Aeris corrected, and she heard Reyna call “whatever” back before shutting the door to her room. Aeris shook her head. Reyna and her house sure were strange. Well, whatever. It wasn’t like Aeris felt unwelcome…maybe this could work out after all.

As she grabbed her jacket from the coat hook, Aeris paused at the door, feeling a little awkward. Would it be…rude…not to say goodbye to the house before she left?

Clearing her throat and trying not to feel too silly, Aeris called to the ceiling. “Er…well…I’m going now, uh, Kokoro.”

The answering voice sounded pleased. “Have a safe trip, Miss Aeris. Come back soon.”

Grinning a little in embarrassment, Aeris opened the door, sliding into her jacket as the winter air hit her. “Uh, thanks. I…I will.”

 

* * *

 

Aeris stood in front of the door to Sans’ and Papyrus’ house, her heart pounding in her throat. She didn’t want to do this. She had had all night to reflect on her actions, and now, the prospect of looking Sans in the eye socket after her behavior was the most daunting challenge she had ever had to face. Still, she made herself take a deep breath, steeling herself.

She could not avoid Sans forever. And, whether their friends agreed or not, he deserved to know the truth about who she was, and what they had once meant to each other…what he still meant to her. She had to do this. If she walked away now, Aeris was certain that she would regret it for the rest of her life…which, now, was an awful lot of time.

One more breath…in…out…

Aeris squared her shoulders, swallowed her fear, and knocked firmly on the door.

Nothing happened. She waited, knocking a second time. Still nothing.

Just as she was beginning to believe nobody was going to come, the door swung open. Aeris' heart leapt, then plummeted, then lifted a little when she saw that it was just Papyrus.

The tall skeleton gaped at her for a moment before throwing his arms around her.

“OH, PRINCESS!!! THANK GOODNESS!! We had no idea where you were, and then Undyne called and said you were with her and Alphys, but when we called this morning, she said you weren’t there and had no idea where you were, despite the fact that they looked for you all night—”

“Whoa,” Aeris huffed, wiggling free of Papyrus’ grasp and holding her hands up. “Calm down, Papyrus. I’m perfectly fine.”

“Yes, I see that now!” He sighed, rubbing his eye sockets free of tears that were beginning to gather there. “Oh, but we were so worried! I mean, after you vanished the first time, everyone thought you were dead, so disappearing on us _this_ time wasn’t really good for our health, either…”

“I know,” Aeris said heavily, her shame growing, heating her face. “I’m sorry, Papyrus. I shoud’ve stayed put yesterday—”

“Or at least given us your new number so we could call and make sure you’re okay,” Papyrus interrupted, giving Aeris a very stern look usually reserved for his brother. “Seriously, Princess, you can’t do that to us anymore!”

Aeris dropped her gaze to the ground, her head bowing in disgrace. “I’m sorry.”

There was a sigh, and Papyrus’ gloved hand patted her shoulder. “It’s all right, Aeris. I’m just glad that you’re okay. …You _are_ okay, aren’t you?”

Aeris glanced up, smiling a little. “I’m getting there. Also, did you just use my actual name?”

Papyrus gave her a rather shifty look. “Well, er…I was talking to Sans yesterday…and he made it seem like you really hated the nicknames he was calling you…”

Oh. So he had picked up on that, had he? Aeris frowned.

“I don’t mind ‘Princess’,” she assured the tall skeleton brother, “it was just the ‘sweetheart’ nickname that was getting to me. It sounds so condescending…” She glanced past Papyrus, wondering if Sans was in there somewhere, listening. She didn’t see him from her limited view of the living room, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t somewhere in the house. “Speaking of Sans…is he here?”

“Oh…no,” Papyrus admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “He’s not here at the moment.”

Aeris felt her shoulders slump. “Oh.”

“B-but he might be back soon!” Papyrus said, and Aeris could see that he felt bad for being the cause of her drop in mood. “I have to go, but you can wait for him in the living room, if you want!”

Waiting for Sans in the skeleton brothers’ house, all by herself? Aeris didn’t think so.

“No, that’s okay,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’ll have to catch him some other time, I guess.” She folded her arms, peering curiously up at Papyrus. “So, where’re you going?”

“Oh.” To Aeris’ surprise, the tall skeleton began to blush. “Well…Mettaton’s having a rehearsal for his next concert, and I told him I’d be there.”

Aeris began to smile at Papyrus’ obviously flustered state. “Oh yeah? So…I take it you and Mettaton are a thing now?”

Papyrus’ jaw fell open. “OH MY GOD, WHO TOLD YOU???”

Aeris laughed. “You just did.”

“Oh.” Papyrus laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. “Well…yeah. We’ve been dating for a few months, now…”

“That’s great,” Aeris enthused, and Papyrus’ blush deepened, “I’m glad you found someone you want to spend time with. I just hope that robot knows he’s not worthy of it,” she mumbled to herself in an undertone, still not quite over her dislike of Mettaton. Papyrus laughed a little.

“You sound like Sans,” he said, and Aeris’ heart hurt at the mention of the short skeleton. “He says he’s glad I’m happy, but I don’t know…I’ve had to tell him off a couple times for the way he treats Mettaton. Don’t you think,” Papyrus began, and Aeris could sense a rant coming on, “that brothers should support who the other is dating, no matter who it is?!”

Aeris smiled at that. “Hmm…I think so. As long as the person the brother is dating isn’t bad, or doesn’t hurt him, or…” She trailed off at the sad look Papyrus was giving her. Tilting her head a little to the side, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“…Princess…” Now it was apparently Papyrus’ turn to hang his head in shame. “…I’m sorry I let Sans forget about you.”

Oh, that’s right. She had shouted at Undyne last night for that, hadn’t she? The pile of guilt grew larger, and Aeris found herself hugging Papyrus with all her might.

“I’m sorry I had to leave in the first place,” she mumbled into his scarf. Papyrus patted her back.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said again, the meaning going deeper this time around. Aeris giggled a little, tears beginning to sting her eyes.

“Me, too.”

They stayed that way for a moment, before Papyrus disengaged himself from her.

“Um…sorry, but if I don’t leave now, I’m going to be late,” Papyrus admitted, rubbing the back of his skull. Aeris smiled tremulously.

“I understand. I…I guess I’ll go visit Toriel,” she said, turning in the direction of Toriel’s house as Papyrus stepped outside, closing the door behind him. “I haven’t seen her yet…”

“Oh…but Toriel’s working right now,” Papyrus reminded Aeris, and she sighed.

“Oh yeah…”

There was a silent moment as Aeris hugged her arms around herself, beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t just turn around and go back to Reyna’s place. Just as she was teetering in favor of that decision, Papyrus gave a sudden shout.

“OH! I HAVE A GREAT IDEA!” He grabbed Aeris’ shoulders, his eye sockets sparkling. “Come with me, Princess!”

Aeris blinked. “What?”

“Come with me! It’ll be fun!” He enthused, grabbing Aeris’ hands and pulling her to the garage, where his car was parked. “And you’ll get to meet Shyren and Napstablook! They’re great!”

“Oh,” Aeris began, glancing around, as if she would see something that would get her out of the situation. Her hesitance must’ve been obvious, for Papyrus slowed down, turning back to her.

“Do you…not want to?” He asked, and he looked so disappointed that Aeris sighed in defeat. Looked like she didn’t have any other choice. It wasn’t like she had anything better to do, anyway…

“…All right, I’ll go,” she agreed, smiling at the beaming look Papyrus gave her. After all, she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t missed this other bonehead as well. Spending some time with him, even if it meant being in Mettaton’s company as well, wouldn’t kill her.

 

* * *

 

“ _Daaarling_ ~!” Mettaton crowed as soon as Papyrus entered the Monster Town musical theatre in which the rehearsal was being held. Aeris moved out of the way as the robot practically tackled Papyrus into a hug, leaving smooches all over the tall skeleton’s skull. Aeris tried her hardest not to gag out loud. “I’ve been wondering where you’ve gotten to! What took you so lo—oh. _Ohhh myyy,_ ” the robot trilled, staring with wide eyes at Aeris, who forced her face into a polite smile.

“Mettaton,” she greeted in the warmest voice she could muster with him, mostly out of courtesy for Papyrus. “Good to see—ouch!”

Mettaton grabbed her cheeks, pulling them before letting them snap back into place. Aeris took a step back from him, staring at him incredulously. Was he _crazy?_

“So you _are_ alive!!” Mettaton announced, as if this was news to him. “Well well well! I thought Papyrus was describing a _ghost_ when he told me, but you’re clearly very solid!” He eyed her up and down with a smirk. “ _Very._ ”

Aeris narrowed her eyes at Mettaton. If this goddamn robot was implying that she was _fat_ —

“NYEH HEH HEH!” Papyrus’ awkward laughter cut through the tension. “It’s great that we’re all here together now, isn’t it? Come on, Princess! Meet the rest of the band!”

He grabbed Aeris’ wrist and tugged her past Mettaton, up to the stage where two other figures were standing. One was another robot, though its color scheme was silver, black and blue rather than silver, black and pink like Mettaton’s design. It looked to be a male robot, with a shyer, yet kinder looking face. The other figure was a scaly-looking monster, who hid her face as Aeris approached. Papyrus dragged her right onto the stage, and presented her like a present.

“Napstablook, Shyren, this is my good friend, Princess! Princess, this is Napstablook,” he gestured to the blue robot, who ducked his head awkwardly, “and Shyren!”

Aeris smiled a little, wondering how such shy characters were involved in a band with someone like Mettaton, of all people. Then again, maybe the contrast in their personalities helped them work well together. Aeris personally didn’t get it, but to each their own, right?

“Nice to meet you,” she said politely, nodding to each of them in turn.

“Uh……hello……” Napstablook said haltingly, looking at her and away so often that Aeris wondered if he thought he was being impolite by looking at her. Shyren nodded from behind her hair.

“Okay, enough introductions!” Mettaton declared, suddenly appearing onstage in one of his most seductive poses. Papyrus blushed red, and Aeris tried so hard not to roll her eyes that she felt she deserved an Olympic medal. “It’s time to practice!”

And so they did as Aeris and Papyrus sat in the front row, watching their progress.

Aeris was loathe to admit it out loud, but they sounded amazing. Mettaton was a drama queen, of course, but she couldn’t deny his talent, and Shyren’s back-up singing harmonized with him perfectly, while Napstablook played mixes that made the catchy songs exciting, and the ballads touching.

However, it wasn’t rehearsal for no reason.

“No, no, no!” Mettaton exploded, tapping his foot impatiently as he huffed at Napstablook. “Blooky, that won’t do! I thought we discussed this! It’s Track 08 for “E-L-E-C-Trici-sexy”, and Track 09 for “Metal Mash”!”

“Oh……” Napstablook said, and Aeris noted with alarm that the robot was actually beginning to tear up. That couldn’t be good for his circuits… “I’m sorry……I thought……it sounded a little better……this way…… Oh……”

To Aeris’ further astonishment, Mettaton began to tear up as well, and he rushed forward, hugging the blue robot with a sound of mashing metal.

“Oh, Blooky, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be so dreadful! I’ve just been under _so_ much stress lately! You’re right, you’re absolutely right! It sounds _much_ better the way you played it! I love you, darling!!”

Aeris turned to stare at Papyrus. “Um…what am I missing, here…?” Hey, if Papyrus and Mettaton were in an open relationship, that was their business, but…

Papyrus gave Aeris a shifty look, as if he knew what she was thinking. Well, maybe her feelings were a little too clear on her face. “They’re cousins, Princess.”

“Ohhh.” Pretty close cousins, too, from the way Mettaton was hugging Napstablook.

“Maybe it’s time for a break?” Papyrus called up to the stage, and Mettaton positively lit up at the suggestion.

“That’s a _great_ idea! Take five, everyone!” And Mettaton bounded off the stage, right into Papyrus’ awaiting arms. Aeris decided to give them some room, shaking her head a little as she wandered back up to the stage. It was ridiculous that she felt jealous. Just because her love life wasn’t panning out the way she expected it to didn’t mean she had to envy Papyrus.

Napstablook and Shyren were off to the side, rehydrating (Napstablook with oil and Shyren with water), so Aeris left them be, wandering over to Napstablook’s synthesizer. She had never seen one up close before, preferring the classic piano, but she had to admit, this looked really cool. One of her fingers reached out, almost touching one of the keys, but then she pulled back at the last minute, remembering that it would be rude to touch someone else’s belongings without asking, especially since this thing looked so expensive.

Folding her hands behind her back to avoid temptation, Aeris leaned over, inspecting the sheet music that sat upon the music stand attached to the synthesizer. It had been so long since she’d seen sheet music, so she had gotten really rusty at reading it…hmm. Was that a G? Or an F sharp?

Aeris hummed a little to herself, trying to sound out the melody on the sheet. It was pretty easy once she got the first few notes down, and she was surprised to find how much such a simple melody pleased her before it got to the second bar and evolved into something evocative, powerful. It was such a tragic sound, but it still managed to draw her in. Unable to help herself, she reached over, still humming, meaning to move on to the next page—

A lilting voice sounded beside her, joining her humming concert. Aeris jumped, and her hands knocked the sheet music off the stand. Cursing, she swooped down to pick them up, straightening up with wide eyes when she glanced over and found Shyren beside her; Aeris hadn’t heard her wander over. Shyren was apparently regretting her decision as well; her face began to retreat behind her curtain of hair once again.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Aeris apologized, reaching out to the monster before she remembered herself and dropped her hand. “You just startled me, that’s all…”

Shyren peeked out at her. Smiling a little, Aeris replaced the sheet music. She gave Shyren another glance as she continued humming, pausing to invite her back into the melody. Shyren swept her hair back, and Aeris thought she might’ve smiled before she joined the humming again. Her smile growing, Aeris’ fingers went to the keys of the synthesizer, the movements familiar, despite its differences from a regular piano. She let Shyren take the melody, choosing to accompany her through the notes she played instead, carefully following the music. Shyren didn’t seem to need the music; she clearly knew where this melody was meant to go, and as Aeris played, she was astounded at all the places Shyren could take the song. She really had such an amazing talent.

The sheet music ended abruptly; clearly, the song was still being worked on. But Aeris ignored that, wrapped in her own concert with Shyren. She let the music take over, closing her eyes as she played and Shyren sang, the melody seizing her heart, making it ache with bittersweet sounds. The low, mournful note she finished on reverberated through the theatre, the finality of it feeling like it might suffocate Aeris with sadness. …But, on the other hand…this was the best she had felt since yesterday. Music was still a good way for her to work out her feelings, it seemed.

“Uh……wow……”

Aeris’ eyes flew open. Napstablook was there now, his eyes wide as he stared at her. Aeris felt herself blush, and she hastily yanked her hands away from the keyboard.

“I’m _so sorry,_ ” she apologized fervently, tugging on a strand of her hair. “I really should’ve asked first—”

“Oh……it’s okay……” To Aeris’ astonishment, the blue robot managed a small, shy smile. “You……play really well. Looks like Shyren had fun, too……”

Shyren nodded fervently. Aeris’ blush deepened, and she covered her cheeks with her hands.

“Oh…well, thanks, I had fun, too,” she said, glancing shyly over at Shyren, who hid her face in response. The three of them stood together like that for an awkward moment before Mettaton abruptly appeared on stage once again.

“All right, that’s enough of a break for now!” He announced, glancing at Aeris with an expression that was almost thoughtful. She frowned, wondering what that was supposed to mean, but didn’t get a chance to ask. “Time to get back to work!”

As they began to restart rehearsal, Aeris moved off the stage.

“That was amazing, Princess!” Papyrus cheered, and Aeris was astonished to see that he was in tears again. “You still play so beautifully!”

“Thank you, but please don’t cry, Papyrus,” she begged of him, smiling awkwardly as she reached up to brush a few of the tears away from his cheekbones. “It was just a song.”

“A beautifully sad song!” Papyrus insisted, and Aeris laughed a little. Well, no one could say that she didn’t know how to convey a tone when she played, could they?

“Thanks. Um, look, I’m gonna go,” she said, raising her voice to talk over Mettaton’s singing as he, Shyren, and Napstablook began an electrifying jam, “I think I want to be by myself for a little while.”

Papyrus looked worried at that. “Oh. Okay. But it’s a long walk back from Monster Town to…wherever you’re going. Do you want me to give you a ride?”

“No, it’s fine,” Aeris promised him with a smile. “I like walking, now that I can do it without being short of breath or coughing up blood.”

Papyrus’ eye sockets widened at that. “That’s right! YOU’RE CURED!!! I keep forgetting!!!”

Aeris laughed. Dear, sweet Papyrus. “Yes, I’m cured. So I’ll be fine. If it makes you feel better,” she said when Papyrus’ expression began to pucker with concern once again, “I’ll give you my new number so you can call and check on me if you want.”

“Great idea!!” Papyrus enthused, lighting up at once. Smiling, they exchanged numbers, and it was only with a tad reluctance that he said goodbye to her as she began to exit the theatre. Luckily, Mettaton distracted the tall skeleton by doing a magnificent pose that had Papyrus cheering louder than the music. Aeris laughed under her breath, hands in her pockets, her eyes on the floor. At least he was having fun. And Mettaton seemed really nuts about him…maybe Aeris should give the robot another chance. After all, it wasn’t like he _meant_ to be annoying…probably…

Aeris looked up as she reached the doors…and then stopped, shock freezing her in place.

Sans was there. He was slumped against a pillar that sat next to the doors, looking as casual as ever. When he noticed her take notice of him, he straightened up, moving forward to block her way.

“Hey.”

Aeris swallowed, a little annoyed that his voice still had the potential to turn her spine into jelly. That was not fair in any sense of the word. She folded her arms defensively, and kept her gaze stubbornly focused on him, despite the growing desire to look away.

“Hi,” she replied cautiously. Sans was looking at her in a weird way—his grin wasn’t as wide as last night, and his gaze threatened to pierce through her, searching for something. Aeris felt her cheeks warm, and she ended up looking away after all. “…What are you doing here?”

“Lookin’ in on my bro,” he said, and Aeris heard a faint note of annoyance in his voice. She peeked at him from the corner of her eye, but he was looking past her, leering at the flashy robot on stage. “He spends way too much time with that damn robot.”

“I think they’re kind of sweet,” Aeris said softly, glancing back at the back of Papyrus’ skull, where he was clearly enraptured by Mettaton’s performance. A snort brought her attention back to Sans.

“Yeah, okay. Pap’s sweet, sure, but that flashy hunk of metal—”

“You really shouldn’t speak ill of someone your brother likes,” Aeris cut him off, remembering Papyrus’ irritation over this. She raised a dark eyebrow at Sans. “How would you like it if he spoke that way about someone _you_ were dating?”

Sans paused, appearing to consider Aeris. His grin widened.

“Heh. You sound like him,” he said, before giving a shrug. “But it’s a moot point, anyway, since I don’t date.”

The words were an unexpected blow. Aeris forced herself to take a deep breath so she wouldn’t start crying.

“About that,” she began slowly, her teeth pressing into her bottom lip as she glanced at Sans and then away, “can…can we talk?”

Sans paused, his grin growing an inch. “Can we? I’m not sure, exactly. What is this ‘talking’ thing that you… _speak_ of?”

“Punny bonehead,” Aeris replied automatically, the words escaping her lips out of habit. She bit her lip when she realized what she said, especially when Sans looked at her. The look he gave her…

It was gone after a moment, but Aeris had still seen it—the look he had given her was almost…fond. Familiar.

“Oh, so Snow White has nicknames of her own,” the short skeleton joked, and he stepped back, as if to put a bit of distance between him and Aeris. The gesture hurt her. “Touche.”

“Seriously,” she pressed the issue, taking a step forward, her brow furrowing in determination, “I really need to talk to you.”

Sans considered her. Aeris refused to break eye contact with him this time, ignoring the heat that flooded her cheeks, annoyed that he could still make her flush like this, when everything was just so terrible—

The short skeleton gave a mild shrug.

“…All right. You mind if we do it over lunch, though? I’m starvin’.”

“Sure,” Aeris allowed, relieved that he was even giving her a chance. With a bit of a dry note, because she already knew the answer, she still asked, “Where to?”

Sans pushed the door open and stepped outside, grinning at her over his shoulder.

“Just follow me. I know a shortcut.”

 

* * *

 

“AERIS!!!!”

As soon as she stepped into Grillby’s II, she was bum-rushed by what she called the Dog Squad. Aeris yelped in surprise, almost knocked over as the dogs surrounded her, all jockeying to be pet first.

“So it’s true! You’re all right!”

“Papyrus told us you were back, but we hadn’t seen you yet, so we weren’t sure if he was telling the truth or not—”

“But here you are!! Where’ve you been??”

“And more importantly, did you bring us any bones??”

They sniffed interestedly at her, as if she was hiding treats for them in her jacket. Aeris laughed a little, patting some of their heads, despite the danger of Lesser Dog’s neck extending through the roof.

“Hi, guys. It’s nice to see you, too. I wish I could talk, but I’m kind of in the middle of something. And I’m sorry, no, I didn’t bring you anything…unless you want a piece of him,” she lowered her voice conspiratorially, jerking her head at Sans, who was waiting a little behind her. He shot her a look.

“Don’t even think about it,” he replied, and Aeris smiled a little.

“Ohhh,” Dogressa drawled, her tail wagging furiously as she grasped her husband’s hand. “Sorry, we didn’t realize we were interrupting a _date_. We’ll leave you alone now!”

“Oh, no, we’re not—” Aeris began, her face heating up, but Dogressa was already ushering everyone else away, and Aeris’ sentence trailed off unfinished. She sighed, not daring to look at Sans until she got herself back together. “So. Where should we sit?”

“Depends. Do you mind eavesdroppers?” Sans asked, eyeing her. His expression was weird again, like he was trying to see through her once again. Aeris stared back, noting the edge to his grin. Looked like he wasn’t having much luck with reading her. The thought was relieving, honestly.

“Eavesdroppers never hear good of themselves,” she said quietly. Something flickered in Sans’ gaze. Aeris stared harder, her gaze growing intense. There it was again. That flash of recognition, as if he _did_ remember—

But again, it disappeared as quickly as it came, tormenting Aeris. She glared to herself as Sans looked away, hitching his default grin into place.

“Then let’s get a booth,” he suggested, and chose an empty one close to the bar. As they sat, a nervous-looking cat monster approached, handing them menus.

“Welcome to Grillby’s II,” he said, grinning in a slightly manic way, “my name is—”

“Hi, Burgerpants,” Aeris greeted pleasantly, folding her hands on the table and giving him a smile. “How’ve you been?”

“Shh,” he hushed her, his eyes darting around nervously. “I—I’m glad to see you, too, Aeris, but I can’t talk to you before you order something. My new boss is just as strict as my last one…”

This surprised Aeris. “Really? Grillbz is strict?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. Funnily enough, she had trouble believing that.

“He’s not talking about Grillbz,” Sans interjected, handing his menu back to Burgerpants without really looking at it. “He’s talking about the she-devil that swindled Grillbz into letting her run the place while he’s in the Bahamas.”

Aeris frowned. “Reyna? But she’s nice!”

Sans gave Aeris a look that told her plainly that he was questioning her sanity.

“We talkin’ about the same human?” He asked, forcibly reminding her of Reyna. Their similarities to each other were beginning to unnerve Aeris.

“Anyway,” she pressed her point, ignoring Sans for now and turning back to Burgerpants, “it’s not like she’s here right now, so what’s got you so worried?”

Burgerpants began to rattle with nervousness.

“She doesn’t have to be here, physically. _The walls have eyes,_ ” he hissed, looking so terrified that Aeris couldn’t help but pity him.

“Okay, okay, we’ll make this easy for you: how about a plate of fries for me and a bottle of ketchup for him? Your biggest bottle,” she added. It was a true testament to how frequently Sans patroned Grillby’s II that Burgerpants did not question the unusual order. He promised to return shortly with their orders in his most professional voice before scrambling away to take more orders.

“Well well,” Sans drawled, bringing Aeris’ attention to him, “a big bottle of ketchup. It’s such a _condiment_ that you seem to know what I like.”

Aeris bit her lip again as she worked to not find him funny. It was a losing battle.

“Maybe I’m just trying to _butter_ you up,” she returned, unable to help herself. Shock flitted across Sans’ skull before he started snickering.

“Heh heh. Well, if you _mustard_ , who’m I to turn ya down?”

“ _Relish_ it while you can,” Aeris said, her smile fading, “it’s not gonna last.”

Sans snickered again, but he, too, seemed to sober as Aeris’ smile disappeared. “Oh, yeah. You said you wanted to talk.”

“Yes.” Aeris reached up, tugging on a strand of her hair. Cutting it short in an effort to keep herself from pulling on it clearly had been ineffective. She stared down at the tabletop, trying to organize her thoughts, and ignored the way Sans’ phalanges tapped against the table.

“…Well, Sweetheart?” He asked after a moment, his tone taunting. Aeris’ head snapped up, and she glared at him.

“Do _not_ call me that,” she finally snapped at him. Sans raised his hands in surrender, looking mildly surprised.

“What’s wrong with ‘sweetheart’? It’s cute.”

“It’s condescending,” she corrected him with a scowl. “I feel like I’m about five years old when you call me that.”

“Jeez. All right, Nickname Police, what should I call ya, then?”

“It’s not like you don’t know my name,” she pointed out, raising her eyebrows. Sans grinned.

“But that’s boring.”

“Well you can’t call me ‘sweetheart’ anymore,” she disallowed, folding her arms with a stubborn look. “I won’t answer you if you call me that.”

“Damn. Well how about ‘fun sucker’, then?”

“Sans.”

“Nope. That’s _my_ name,” Sans joked with a wink. Aeris scowled at him; it was easier not to laugh now, since she was so irritated with him.

“Be serious,” she commanded. Sans laughed instead.

“How can I be serious when I’m Sans?” He asked.

Aeris leaned forward, her arms folded on the table as she fixed him with an intense stare.

“Sans,” she said, her voice low and urgent. Sans’ grin slipped from his face as he took in her expression. His eyes darted away after a moment, looking uncomfortable for a reason Aeris wasn’t interested in ferreting out at the moment.

“Just tryin’ to lighten the mood,” he grumbled, glancing over at Aeris and then away again. “…But I guess comedy’s not what you asked me here for.”

“No,” she replied solemnly, “it isn’t.”

His gaze flickered to her and away once more. “Well? What’s the real reason you needed to talk to me?”

“I need to talk to you…” Aeris paused, realizing she still had no idea how to begin. All the planning she had done for this conversation in her head, and it fell apart as soon as she tried to put it into action. She sighed a heavy sigh, said ‘ _to hell with it_ ’ to herself, and just plunged in. “I need to talk to you because you need to know the truth.”

Slowly, Sans turned his skull back to look at Aeris. “…Truth?”

“About me,” Aeris clarified. She hesitated, and then added in a softer voice, “about us.”

Sans regarded her for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he laughed, his eye sockets closing.

“Hate to break it to ya, Aeris, but there is no ‘us’.”

Aeris felt her throat close up. She let out a shaky breath and forced herself to continue.

“I know. But there was, once. Three years ago—”

“Three years ago,” Sans cut her off, his eye sockets still closed, “you vanished, apparently leaving behind the impression that you were dead.”

His knowledge of how she disappeared startled Aeris. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. “Uh…did Papyrus—”

“He did a lot of explaining last night,” Sans confirmed. Aeris wished he would look at her—she felt like him keeping his eye sockets closed was his way of blocking her out, as if she didn’t exist if he couldn’t see her. “Apparently, I was having a pretty bad time after you left.”

“I never meant for you to be hurt so badly, Sans,” Aeris whispered, feeling herself beginning to ache at the thought of Undyne’s words from last night. “Honestly, I didn’t—”

“Yeah?”

Aeris got her wish, but once again, it was not in a way she expected—the tiny pinpricks in Sans’ eye sockets were missing when he opened them, and he leered at her in a menacing way.

“Then why did you leave me?” He asked, his voice lower than hers. “If I was so important to you, why was I left behind?”

Aeris flinched, the chill in his tone cutting through her. Suddenly, her arguments on the subject seemed so laughably flimsy that she just wanted a hole in the universe to swallow her up, right now.

Still, she tried to explain.

“I…I had to,” she mumbled, feeling herself beginning to tremble under the weight of his stare. Like she was facing an unforgiving judge that would decide whether she was worthy of Heaven or Hell. “I…I was dying, Sans. And…it was killing you. You begged me to leave, to return to my parents if it meant they could help me…so I did.”

“But you didn’t bother telling anyone that’s what you were doing,” he reminded her, still grinning that creepy grin, his eye sockets dark and foreboding. “Instead, you left behind vague letters, and somehow expected them to be enough of an explanation, right?”

“I didn’t know if the treatment would work,” Aeris said, her voice strained and pleading, “I didn’t want to get your hopes up, just to die anyway. I—”

“And then, when the treatment succeeded? What did you do?” Sans grin widened, a twisted version of his default grin. “Did you call us? E-mail us? Write us more letters? Give us any indication at all that you were alive and well, and thinking about coming to see us soon?” He leaned forward, trapping Aeris in a gaze that was almost soulless.

“Or did you think it was fine to just let us mourn until _you_ decided when enough was enough…?”

Aeris sat back, her wide eyes on the skeleton before her, her heart freezing in her chest.

He was absolutely right. Aeris had been a coward. She had been afraid to let anyone know where she was going, terrified that the treatment would fail, that she would die anyway after giving the monsters she loved false hope that she would one day return. And even after she was cured, she didn’t bother letting them know. Instead, she ran, to Paris, to London, all the places she had always dreamed of seeing without the real hope of ever doing so. Once she was cured, Aeris could only think about her own freedom, and what she was going to do with it.

It had never once occurred to her that, by leaving her friends in the dark about her situation, she was also leaving them trapped in their despair, needlessly mourning her loss. Somehow, she had convinced herself that they would be just fine without her, and that when she returned, it would ultimately turn out to be a happy reunion.

Showed what she knew, didn’t it?

When she didn’t say anything, Sans sat back as well, letting out a sigh and closing his eye sockets once again.

“…I dunno what you came here to find, Sweetheart,” he grumbled, and Aeris twitched at the hated, distancing nickname, “but I’m sorry to say that ya won’t find it. Whatever we were three years ago…we’re not anymore. And I’m not interested in goin’ back in time for it. Gave that up a long time ago.”

So that was it. Sans wanted nothing to do with her. The way he saw it, he was well shot of her, and nothing she said was going to change his mind. Again, Aeris got the cruelest manifestation of her wish: Sans was just fine without her.

“…I’m sorry,” she felt herself say, despite the numbing sensation that was beginning to spread through her body in an attempt to quell the agony that was beginning to take hold. “For what it’s worth…I’m sorry, Sans.”

Sans opened his eye sockets to look at her. Aeris watched as they widened with surprise, and he froze in place.

“…You’re crying,” he noted in shock. The words surprised Aeris. Was she crying…?

Sure enough, when she wiped a hand across one of her cheeks, tears clung to her fingers. Horrified and humiliated, Aeris pressed a hand to her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut. It didn’t stop the tears, but she still tried.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, a sharp breath escaping her as she fought for control of herself, despite the fact that she was spiraling out of control, anguish roaring up like a tidal wave, coming to claim her. She didn’t want him to see her like this, falling apart at the seams. After missing him, wanting to see him, loving him for three long years, only to come back and discover that he would rather be left alone…it hurt. And Aeris wasn’t so sure that it wouldn’t have been worse if he felt this way and still remembered why. Anger, she could’ve handled. Hurt, she would’ve taken gratefully. But this apathy…knowing Sans wouldn’t care if she dropped dead tomorrow…it was killing her.

Something squeezed the free hand she left lying on the table. Aeris’ eyes snapped open in surprise, and she looked up.

Sans was holding her hand. No, not holding it—he gripped it, clutching at it, as if he was afraid she was going to sink through the seat if he didn’t hold on. And the way he _looked_ at her—

Aeris’ heart stuttered. Looking at Sans now, it was like nothing had changed—his grin was nowhere to be found, and he looked at her with such profound worry, like it was hurting him just as much to see her hurting. The pinpricks of light in his eye sockets were dull with concern, and something else—no, Aeris didn’t dare believe it. But…what if it was…?

“Sans…?” She whispered, staring at him in bewilderment. The sound of his voice seemed to snap him back to reality; he blinked, looking surprised, then confused, and then surprised again as he realized he was gripping her hand. He let go in a hurry, his grin returning full force as he stared down at the table. Aeris was further astonished to find that he was beginning to blush.

“Oh…h-heh. Er, sorry. I, uh…I don’t know why…well, that was weird,” he mumbled, though he seemed to be talking more to himself than her, rubbing the back of his skull in a sheepish manner.

Aeris could only stare at him, wordless. Slowly, a small glimmer of hope became visible beyond the tidal wave—a beacon in the middle of the storm, calling Aeris home.

Sans didn’t remember her. That much was clear. And, according to him, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to remember why she was so important to him.

But maybe that was because he already _knew._ Not consciously, of course, Aeris could see that. But the way he held her hand just now…was it possible that Sans, underneath the fake grin and indifferent demeanor, under all the forgotten memories that he didn’t seem interested in…

Was it possible that he was still in love with her?

Burgerpants arrived, breaking the moment.

“Okay, a plate of fries, and the biggest bottle of ketchup that we have! Will that be all?”

“Yes. Thank you, Burgerpants,” Aeris said, surprised at how normal she managed to sound. Maybe it was just her determination returning with a vengeance. Maybe she was just sick of mourning a love that may or may not be lost forever.

But whatever it was, Aeris now knew for sure that she wasn’t about to give up. She and Sans belonged together. She was convinced of it. And, though Sans insisted he didn’t want to revisit the past, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t change his mind later. As stubborn as he might be, Aeris was twice as, and now, she could afford to wait. She had all the time in the world, now.

“Sans,” she began when Burgerpants meandered away. The skeleton paused, his hands around his ketchup bottle as he eyed her. He looked rather wary, as if she was going to bite him. Aeris bit back a laugh at such an expression. It wasn’t funny, after all. Not really. “Look,” she began, wiping her face free of moisture with her sleeves, “I understand if you don’t want to…I mean…” She sighed, twisting a lock of hair around her fingers. “What I’m trying to say is, we share a lot of the same friends…so it’d be kind of awkward if we started avoiding each other.”

Sans grimaced at that. “True.”

“So,” Aeris said, pressing her point, “even if we can’t be…what I want us to be…maybe, for their sake…we could try being friends…?”

Sans regarded her. Aeris stared back as he searched her face, sensing that he was looking for some kind of endgame on her part. She kept her expression open, honest, hopeful. The seconds ticked by.

Finally, Sans smiled. And it was a genuine smile for once, which made Aeris smile in response. Thank god.

“I don’t see why not,” Sans admitted, and he moved the ketchup bottle towards her. “Here. In the spirit of friendship.”

Aeris eyed the bottle. The cap was loose. Sensing mischief, her gaze switched to Sans, who was wearing what he apparently believed to be an innocent grin. His eye sockets were alight, expectant.

Aeris swallowed her sigh. Well…in the spirit of friendship…

Resigned to her fate, she lifted the bottle and tipped it over her fries. Immediately, the cap fell off, and a huge glob of ketchup splattered all over her fries. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, Sans snickering audibly across from her.

“Whoops,” he said, his shit-eating grin in place when she opened her eyes to look at him. “Sorry ‘bout that. Complete accident.”

“I’m so sure,” she said dryly, grinning in a begrudging way. “Glad we got the chance to _ketchup_ , Sans.”

The skeleton grinned wider, chuckling.

“Heh heh. Gotta tell ya, Snow—this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Not if Aeris had anything to do with it. Still, she smiled anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. NOW we're getting somewhere.
> 
> Hang tight, kids, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.
> 
> ~Reyna


	5. It's Personal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This FUCKING TOOK FOREVER. I finally got a version I liked of this chapter, so here ya go. *Collapses*
> 
> ~Reyna

Toriel’s reaction to seeing Aeris was pretty much what was expected: she shrieked, cried, and hugged Aeris until she threatened to pass out from lack of air. It took a pot of strong golden flower tea to calm her down, and even then, she still stared at Aeris as if she were the eighth wonder of the world.

“I still cannot believe it,” she whispered, a hand over her heart, her other hand placed over Aeris’ folded ones. “All this time…dear me, but your mother told us that she had no idea where you were!”

“Oh,” Aeris mumbled, dropping her eyes to the table. “Actually…that was my fault. I called after you guys apparently did, and…I told her not to tell you all.”

Silence followed this revelation.

“…But,” Asgore began, looking concerned as he sat next to his wife, “why would you do that…?”

Aeris sighed and put her head in her hands.

“I convinced myself it was better that way,” she confessed to the heels of her hands. “There was no guarantee that the treatment would work, and if it didn’t, I didn’t want to give you all the false hope that I’d get better. It just seemed…easier…to leave it the way I did.”

She lifted her face from her hands, biting her lip as she looked Toriel and Asgore in the eyes.

“But it was selfish. I know that now. And I’m sorry. You don’t have to forgive me—I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am.”

“Oh, my dear,” Toriel sighed, patting Aeris’ arm and smiling despite the tears in her eyes, “of course we forgive you. You are here now. It must have taken such a long time for you to finally be cured.”

“Three whole years,” Asgore said with a grave nod, “a very long time. Your struggle must have been great. We are so glad you succeeded.”

“Thanks,” Aeris said softly, a guilty blush beginning to spread through her cheeks. “But, um, I think there’s something you should know—”

She was interrupted by the front door opening. Frisk strolled in, dropping their backpack by the door and kicking off their shoes.

“Home,” they announced needlessly, and then looked up. Their eyes lit up when they spotted Aeris.

“Hey,” they greeted, strolling forward with a smile. As Aeris stood, she noted again with much surprise how tall Frisk had gotten—now _she_ had to look up at _them_ as they pulled her into a hug.

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe how big you got,” she sighed wistfully, pushing the hair out of Frisk’s eyes. “And you’re not even sixteen yet!”

“One more month,” Frisk reminded her. They took the seat Aeris just vacated, missing the chiding look from Toriel.

“You are home early, Frisk,” Asgore noted, and he got up and gestured for Aeris to take his seat instead, despite her head-shaking. “Do you not have practice today?”

“I did,” Frisk huffed as Aeris reluctantly sank into Asgore’s chair. The goat man poured Frisk a mug of tea and handed it to them just as Frisk admitted, “They kicked me off the team today.”

“What?!” Toriel and Asgore exclaimed in unison. Aeris, for her part, merely looked stunned.

“You play a sport?” She asked, eyeing Frisk’s wiry frame and wondering how that could be.

“Nah, Debate Team,” Frisk corrected her with a brief grin. “I was the best…‘til they kicked me off today.”

“But why?!” Toriel demanded to know, and Aeris noted that she looked ready to fuss at someone for the way her child was being treated. “Since you are the best, it makes no sense for them to dismiss you! What was their reason?”

Frisk grinned a little sheepishly. “They said it was cheating to win arguments by flirting with the other team.”

The room grew quiet for one moment.

Then, Aeris burst into laughter.

“Seriously?” She asked, grinning widely at Frisk. “ _That’s_ how you win debates??”

Frisk shrugged and grinned a little wider. “Hey, if it works…”

Aeris laughed harder, clutching her stomach. It was as she was wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes that she noticed the other three had paused, watching her. Her smile faded at the looks they gave her.

“What?” She asked, eyes darting from face to face, noticing the worry in each of their looks. As soon as she asked, however, the moment passed, and Toriel and Asgore forced grins on their faces.

“Oh, nothing,” Toriel said lightly, patting Aeris’ arm again. Aeris frowned, and opened her mouth to demand what that was all about when a chime sounded throughout the house.

‘ _That’s new,_ ’ she noted to herself as Toriel rose to answer the door. The last time she was here, they hadn’t had a doorbell. She wondered if that was an addition Asgore had suggested when he moved back in.

“Oh, Undyne, Alphys! Hello!” Toriel greeted, and Aeris stiffened. Uh-oh…

The fish lady and the triceratops entered the room. Sighing quietly, Aeris got to her feet. She couldn’t avoid this conversation forever, could she?

Undyne paused when she caught sight of Aeris. Aeris bit her lip, but she made herself walk over to her, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger. The room grew quiet, and Alphys glanced nervously between them, as if she expected one of them to spontaneously combust. Aeris cleared her throat, forcing herself to meet Undyne’s good eye.

“Um…look, Undyne,” Aeris began, “I’m really—”

“Ah, forget it,” Undyne cut her off, sighing and ruffling her hair. She glanced away, then back at Aeris. “Me, too.”

This made Aeris smile a bit. “So…are we still…um…what’s that word for ‘friend’ on that anime you really like?”

“ _Nakama?_ ” Alphys supplied helpfully. Aeris smiled in thanks.

“Yes, that.” She raised a hand for Undyne to grip. “Are we still _nakama_ , Undyne?”

Undyne snorted and grasped Aeris’ hand. “Like you even need to _ask._ ”

“Friendship is great,” Frisk commented idly, folding their hands behind their head and leaning back in their chair.

“Four legs on the floor, Frisk,” Toriel reproached them with an air that suggested she had to say this too many times. Frisk obeyed, but when a timer in the kitchen went off and Toriel bustled off to silence it, up went the front two legs of their chair again.

“Mmm, do I smell chocolate pie?” Aeris asked, inhaling deeply after an apology/greeting hug to Alphys. “What’s the occasion, Toriel?”

“Oh,” Toriel’s voice sounded from the kitchen, and she paused so long that it made Aeris suspicious. “Well…”

“Well, what?” Aeris asked, but the doorbell rang again. This time Frisk got up to answer it, and the skeleton brothers entered.

“Toriel, we have the balloons!” Papyrus announced. When he spotted Aeris, however, the tall skeleton froze, blushing red. “…Oh. Nyeh heh heh…”

“Whoops,” said Sans, and Aeris’ heart stuttered as he winked at her. “You weren’t ‘sposed to be here. What happened to the ‘garden tour’ as a distraction, Asgore?”

“Yes, well,” Asgore mumbled, looking sheepish, “we were wrapped up in our conversation, and never actually got to it…”

Aeris looked around at all of them, her suspicions beginning to spike. “What’s going on…?”

“Well,” Alphys began, straightening her glasses, “this was…kinda supposed to be a surprise party. For you.”

Aeris blinked. “…But it’s not my birthday,” she said, nonplussed.

“No, but we’ll have to catch up on three years’ worth of missed presents when it does come around!” Papyrus pointed out, looking excited at the thought. “No, this is your “Welcome Back” surprise party! Although, the surprise part is kind of ruined…nyeh heh heh…”

Aeris’ mouth came open with a pop at that, and she felt red rushing to her face.

“Oh…” she said, her hands pressing to her cheeks in an attempt to disperse the warmth, “you didn’t have to—”

“Too late,” Toriel sang as she exited the kitchen, holding a fresh pie. She beamed fondly at Aeris as she approached. “The pie’s already baked and decorated. See?”

Aeris gazed down at the pie. Written in cursive yellow frosting were the words “Welcome Back Aeris” scrawled across the top of the pie, which smelled wonderful. A rush of warmth went through her, so powerful that it nearly knocked her over. Aeris sniffed, her fingers pressing to her lips as she felt moisture begin to gather in her eyes.

“Princess?” Papyrus asked, looking alarmed at the sight of her tears.

“What’s wrong?” Frisk asked from her other side, resting a hand on her back. Aeris sniffed again, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeves.

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled, looking up at all of them with a watery smile. “I just…I really missed you guys.”

There was a soft chorus of “awwws”, and suddenly, Aeris was being hugged from all sides. She relished the warmth, basking in the loving glow of her friends, the moment perfect.

“SANS!” Papyrus suddenly shouted, sounding annoyed somewhere to Aeris’ right. “You get over here, too!”

“Okay, okay,” Sans mumbled carelessly, and he presumably joined the huddle, too. Aeris felt her heart ache. Well…the moment was almost perfect, at least…

And the party began. It wasn’t so much a party, however, as it was just a giant, informative discussion, an exchanging of information on what had been missed in the past three years. In the span of a couple hours, Aeris learned that Toriel and Asgore’s remarriage had occurred just last year, after a _lot_ of convincing from Asgore; that Undyne and Alphys were planning their own wedding, but were waiting until the weather turned warm; that Papyrus had a new job he was really excited about, working as a chef’s apprentice in a human fusion cuisine restaurant; and that now that Frisk was older, their responsibilities as ambassador for monsters had grown exponentially—they were in contact with several important politicians at least twice a week, and college offers were already pouring in due to their status.

“Technically I can’t choose any until I turn eighteen,” they told Aeris with a shrug, “but it’s nice to know I have options. A lot of options.”

“And the scholarship offers are excellent,” Toriel gushed, sounding like such a proud parent that it made Aeris grin. “Though I worry about how your removal from the Debate Team will affect the offers…”

“Well, I think I wanna be an art major,” Frisk mused, “so technically I don’t need to be on a debate team for that. It was just for fun anyway.”

“Still,” Toriel said as she and Asgore cleared away the dishes from dinner, “more extracurricular activities would not hurt…”

“I’ll start looking into other clubs tomorrow,” Frisk assured her. They stretched, flexing their hands. “Going non-verbal,” they announced suddenly, and everyone’s gazes dropped to their hands as they began to sign. “ _So, Aeris, you haven’t told us about your recovery yet._ ”

“ _That’s a long story,_ ” Aeris signed in return. In response, everyone else leaned forward, save for Sans, who just lounged on the couch next to Papyrus, staring into space. Aeris tried not to let that bother her too much.

“Okay,” she ended up sighing at Frisk’s prompting. “Well…it was hard. You know I hate lying around, but that’s mostly all I could do. The medicine my parents made me take made me woozy pretty much all the time, so I couldn’t move much. It was like I was in a coma, but I was awake through the whole thing, and the most I could do without over-exerting myself was daydream.” Aeris scowled at the memories of her in stasis, still stunned that the period of nothingness hadn’t driven her to insanity. “It sucked.”

“I saw on the news that your parents got a divorce,” Alphys said timidly. Aeris sighed at that, and managed a small smile.

“Yeah, well, it was a long time coming. And to be honest, it was actually a relief. They fought a lot less when they weren’t forced to be near each other all the time. And since my mom’s the doctor, I stayed with her, and my dad would come visit me on the weekends. It’s funny—they worked a lot better together after they got divorced. Maybe because they didn’t feel the need to compete with each other every single second…”

Aeris made herself close her eyes and count to ten. They had gotten over it by now—she needed to work on getting over it as well.

“Did it ever become…really bad?” Toriel questioned, and Aeris noticed her gaze flicker to Sans. Frowning a little, Aeris nodded.

“Yeah. Sometimes the medicine was worse than my illness. It made me throw up, and my hair started falling out, stuff like that. There were days when I almost convinced myself that it was too hard, that maybe I wasn’t meant to live this long if I had to go through all this just to do it. I convinced myself I was fighting Fate by holding on, and that maybe it would be unnatural—even unfair—to keep going. Like I was stealing every second of life I could, and just couldn’t see the consequences of my actions yet. …There were a lot of days that I just wanted to…let go.”

The room grew quiet as Aeris’ friends took that in, varying degrees of sadness on their faces.

A voice that hadn’t spoken much that night shattered the quiet.

“Why didn’t you?”

Slowly, Aeris turned to look at Sans. This was the most alert she had seen him all night—he was sitting up, gaze focused right on her, zeroing in as he searched her face for the answer to his question. Aeris stared back at him, feeling a sense of déjà vu coming on.

“What?” She questioned, raising a dark eyebrow at him. Sans gave a shrug, as if he meant the question to be casual, though his gaze was too concentrated for that to fool Aeris.

“If it was so hard, why didn’t you give up?” He repeated himself. Aeris almost laughed, thinking of another time, of a magical garden, roses, and a sick, twisted weed with a tragic backstory…

“…Because, despite everything, I wanted to live,” Aeris said quietly, everyone else so silent that her voice carried from across the room effortlessly. She tilted her head a little, a challenge in her eyes as she stared at Sans. “Is that so wrong…?”

Sans stared at her. She kept his gaze, refusing to look away, waiting for the flicker of recognition that sometimes appeared in his expression—

“Wowie,” Papyrus said, and Sans looked away from Aeris to focus on him, “human determination sure is amazing!”

Aeris smiled at Papyrus. “I guess so.”

“ _Still, having to be determined for three whole years sounds really hard,_ ” Frisk noted. Aeris bit her lip, remembering that she had a misconception to correct. Well, this was going to be fun…

“Actually…” she began, looking down at her folded hands on the table, “…it was two and a half years.”

If it was possible, the room grew even quieter. Aeris swore she could hear Temmies greeting each other in the distance somewhere.

“…Two and a half?” Undyne questioned, and Aeris didn’t dare look up at her. “But…you were gone for three!”

“I know,” Aeris mumbled, and now she did look up, feeling like a coward for avoiding everyone’s gazes. “After I was cured…I left the country.” She paused to let that sink in, and then hurried on in a rush, worrying that someone might interrupt her before she could finally get it all out. “Once I was finally free of my disease…suddenly, the whole world opened up to me. I could go anywhere, do anything, anything at all that I wanted. So, I went. I did. I saw famous landmarks, met people of different cultures, everything I dreamed of doing since I was twelve years old. And it was great. I loved it.”

“…I see,” Toriel said, the first to recover from her shock. “…But…you did not call. Half a year ago, we still believed you were…dead.”

Aeris hung her head again. “…I know. I’m sorry.”

Frisk tapped the table, making Aeris look up. They were frowning, and though they didn’t look betrayed like Aeris expected, there was still disappointment there. It was only a little bit, but it still stung a lot.

“… _Why?_ ” They eventually asked.

Aeris sighed. Here was the fun part: explaining her madness.

“…To be honest…it was because I was only thinking about myself,” she admitted quietly. “When I was finally declared cured, I wanted to come back here. I did. But I thought…if I came back here first…then I’d never leave. And there was still so much I wanted to see before I came back. I knew I’d come back here eventually, so I figured…it could wait.”

There was a shifting movement from the couch. Aeris kept her eyes fixed on the table, and merely listened as Sans crossed the room, pulling the door open. The quiet shutting of the door behind him still felt like a slam, and it reverberated through Aeris, making her shudder. She closed her eyes, her arms folded around her, searching for security she didn’t possess.

“…And I didn’t call because I didn’t have anyone’s number memorized,” she admitted in a small voice. “I wasn’t sure if I could look it up or not…but either way, I didn’t bother. …I’m sorry.”

It was still for a very long moment.

“OH! I KNOW!”

Startled, Aeris looked up to find Papyrus on his feet, bouncing excitedly.

“We should get you one of those necklaces!” He enthused. At Aeris’ blank look, he continued, “you know! The ones that have little tags on them that say, “If lost, please call…”, and there’s someone’s number underneath! We should put Toriel’s number on one of those necklaces, and you should wear one! That way, you just have to look down and Toriel’s number will be there! You’ll never forget again!”

“…Papyrus,” Undyne began, giving the tall skeleton a strange look, “those are _dog collars._ ”

“So?” Papyrus asked. “Humans wear them, too! I’ve seen it!”

“ _Where have **you** been going that you’ve seen humans wearing dog collars…?_ ” Frisk asked, raising their eyebrows suggestively. Despite the situation, Aeris had to put a hand to her mouth to muffle the giggles.

“Never mind!” Papyrus cried, suddenly looking shifty. He marched over to the kitchen table. “In any case, Princess, I am glad you’ve returned, even if it took you a while to get back to us. You really should’ve contacted us, somehow, but what’s done is done, right? And everyone’s happy that Aeris is alive and back with us, right?”

“Of course,” everyone replied in unison. Papyrus beamed down at Aeris, patting her shoulder.

“Well, there you go! We were sad without you, but now we’re glad you’re here!” He leaned over, muttering in Aeris’ ear. “And don’t worry about Sans. He’ll come around. Eventually.”

Aeris gave a weak smile at this. It was the ‘eventually’ part that she was worried about.

 

* * *

 

Aeris had to recite her number five different times that night, making sure everyone had a way to contact her before she left for the night. She had to promise about seven different times that she wasn’t going far, that she had a safe place to stay for the night, and then had to reassure her friends at least a dozen times that her phone was fully charged, the ringer set on high so she would hear it wherever she went. It was mildly wearing, but considering the circumstances, Aeris put up with it without complaint. She even managed to be polite to Papyrus when he called her when she had only moved a few feet away from Toriel and Asgore’s place, ‘just to check’.

She couldn’t lie—it was a relief to finally leave. Toriel kept hinting that it would be a better idea for her to just stay put in her house, while Undyne was blatantly stating that Aeris had run off before she could test how comfortable their couch was and was apparently annoyed about it. Papyrus mercifully had stayed out of this debate, perhaps sensing that Aeris staying at his and Sans’ place was not the best idea at the moment. And Aeris had patiently turned them all down, grateful once again for the bed Reyna had already offered her. As much as she loved her friends, she still needed some time to ease back into their world. That, and she didn’t want to be alone too long with anyone specific, for fear that they might start talking about the one person she didn’t want to discuss no matter what…

Aeris paused, glancing through the trees. Though it had been three years, she knew where she was—if she took a right here, she would eventually come to the cliff. And though the wind was chilling, she was seized with a fierce desire to see the stars. At least, she told herself it was the stars she wanted to see as she marched in that direction. After all, it had been three years. Her friends had changed, just like Undyne said. It wasn’t like he’d automatically be here just because he left Toriel’s house—

As the trees gave way to the cliff, Aeris stopped walking. Sans was sitting on the edge of the cliff, his skull tilted back, watching the stars. He had apparently heard her approach, however, turning to glance at her over his shoulder. Aeris’ brow puckered as she cursed her lack of sneaking ability; it wasn’t fair that he had her jumping every time their roles were reversed here.

“…Hi,” she greeted him, shifting her weight from foot to foot, feeling awkward. Sans stared at her for a moment before he returned his gaze to the stars.

“Hey,” he replied simply. Aeris could sense a tradition in the making. The wind blew past, and she shivered, shoving her hands in her pockets. She really should go back to Reyna’s place—it was still a bit of a walk, and if she stayed out here too long, her fingers and toes would start to fall off. …But…

“Mind if I join you?” She asked before she could stop herself. She bit her lip anxiously afterwards, immediately regretting the words, but Sans merely shrugged.

“Do what ya want. I don’t own the cliff,” he reasoned, shifting over a little. Smiling a little to herself, Aeris approached, sinking down close to the short skeleton. But not too close. Silence settled in between them as Aeris, too, gazed up at the stars. It was the best place to view them—no nearby street lamps, so no light pollution, and the stars sparkled in the surface of the ocean as well, as if Aeris was floating in space, surrounded by millions of stars. It was incredibly peaceful, and she sighed in content, closing her eyes.

“I missed this place,” she admitted quietly, taking in the quiet winter air. She felt Sans shift beside her.

“Didja used to come here a lot?”

Aeris nodded, slowly opening her eyes to gaze back up to the stars. “It was one of my favorite places to be. Still is.”

Sans was quiet. Aeris leaned back on her hands despite the cold, counting the stars. Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three—

“Was I with you a lot when you were here?”

The question surprised Aeris. She glanced over at him, startled to find that he was turned completely towards her, giving her his full attention, as if the stars no longer mattered. His focused gaze on her face made her blush, and she looked away.

“I thought you didn’t want to remember stuff like that,” she pointed out quietly, folding her arms across her body defensively. From her peripheral vision, she saw Sans shrug.

“I don’t. Not really,” he admitted, and Aeris’ arms tightened. “I was just…curious.”

The way he paused delicately in between his sentence made Aeris glance at him. He was still watching her, his gaze now expectant. She frowned at that, wondering what it meant.

“You look like you want something from me,” she noted out loud. Sans blinked, his eye sockets widening.

“…Do I?” He asked, hitching on a grin. But Aeris recognized that look—she had unnerved him with her observation. Seeing right through him, as if he was a ghost. The complaint echoed in her mind, making Aeris smile a little.

“What is it?” She prompted, resisting the urge to tease him for now, unsure if their shaky friendship would be able to handle it right now. Sans looked down, away from her, rubbing the back of his skull.

“…There’s this look you get sometimes, when you talk to me,” he mumbled, glancing up at her, and then away again. “Like…you’re waiting for me to react a certain way. It makes me feel like we’ve had a couple conversations like these before. And of course, I don’t remember them, so when you look at me like that…I feel like I’m missing out on something important.” He frowned to himself. “It’s…”

“Frustrating?” Aeris supplied when he trailed off. She anticipated his reaction; his skull snapped up, and he stared at her, a hint of disbelief in his gaze.

“Stop that,” he grumbled, surprising Aeris as a faint blush began to spread through his cheekbones, “it’s creepy.”

Despite his discomfort, Aeris couldn’t help but grin.

“Stop what?” She asked, just to tease him.

“You know what,” he shot back, frowning at her now. “There’s that look again. We’ve had this conversation before.”

Aeris pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “True,” she admitted, crossing her legs and resting her elbow on her knee, her head propped up in the palm of her hand as she regarded him thoughtfully. “But you didn’t call it creepy last time. You just said it was ‘unsettling’.”

Sans grinned a little at that. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

Aeris laughed softly at that. “Not according to you.”

Sans stared at her. She stared back, taking in the little changes in his expression as they came and went, wondering what they meant, though she didn’t dare interrupt the wheels she could practically see turning in his skull. He seemed to be teetering on a decision, and Aeris watched as he weighed the scales of pros and cons, debating with himself, waiting…

Finally, the skeleton let out a short, rough sigh.

“It’s not as easy as I thought,” he mumbled regretfully, his eye sockets on the ground, “forgetting the past.”

“Says the amnesiac skeleton,” Aeris teased, smiling wistfully. He glanced up at her with a dry look.

“I think you know what I mean,” he said. His gaze was far too intense on her, and Aeris had to look away again. “Besides,” he continued as Aeris resumed her count of the stars, starting at the beginning again, “it’s not fair. You seem to know me so well that it only takes you a glance to guess what I’m thinking. But I…I don’t know anything about you.”

“You said you didn’t want to,” she reminded him, not quite able to keep the hurt out of her voice. She hoped Sans wouldn’t hear it, but of course he did. She jumped a little as the tips of his phalanges brushed against her arm, as if he wanted to undo her folded arms himself. Aeris stared at him, startled by the casual contact.

“I said that I didn’t want to revisit the past,” he corrected her quietly, his gaze piercing through her, “not that I didn’t want to know you.”

And just like that, Aeris felt her nerves begin to tingle, sparking and coming alive with hope. _Damn_ it. Why did he have to go and say stuff like that while not remembering her? It was so unfair.

She looked away again, cursing to herself as she felt the heat flood her cheeks. Stupid, forgetful, unintentionally seductive skeleton. He was going to be the _real_ death of her, Aeris knew it.

“This isn’t just because everyone made you feel left out earlier, is it?” She wanted to check, closing her eyes and pressing her cold hands to her face. The gesture helped her cool down a little. “Because they remember me and you don’t?”

There was a pause.

“…Damn, you’re sharp,” Sans grumbled, sounding annoyed. Aeris smiled to herself. “All right, fine. So I don’t exactly like the fact that I’m the only one of our friends who doesn’t know ya.” He stopped talking again, and Aeris opened her eyes to look at him. He was scowling at the ground, one of his fingers dragging idly through the snow. “…That’s why I left,” he explained eventually, glancing up at her. “The atmosphere was too heavy. It was like bein’ at a funeral for someone I said ‘hi’ to five years ago. I couldn’t…feel sad…about it...”

Aeris stared at him. That wasn’t exactly true, was it? Sans looked sad just _talking_ about it. Was he really that unaware of his own feelings? …Or maybe…

“…Or maybe,” Aeris began, sounding out her own reasoning as she spoke, “you left because you _did_ feel sad. You just didn’t understand _why._ ”

Sans head snapped up, and he gave her a look so startled that Aeris began to feel alarmed herself.

“Y-ya gotta stop that,” he stammered, grinning in a nervous manner as he stared at her. Aeris stared as he began to tremble, sweat beading his skull, something akin to fear alight in his gaze. “Seriously. You’re…you’re freakin’ me out here, Snow…”

 “Sorry,” Aeris apologized hurriedly, holding her hands up in surrender. “I’ll stop. Sorry.”

She waited, watching Sans as the fear gradually drained from him. When he stopped shaking, she lowered her hands. Well…that had never happened before. Maybe it was because Sans had gotten used to it before she started getting really in-depth with him. But now, for the Sans who didn’t remember their history, her spot-on analyzation of him was not just unnerving—it was frightening. Aeris supposed she understood—if someone who was a virtual stranger to her seemed to have full knowledge of what she was thinking and how she was feeling at any time, she would be a little intimidated herself. Thank goodness there was no one in her life like that…but poor Sans.

As the mood deteriorated, Aeris sighed. She supposed it would be asking too much to be able to bridge the gap she could still feel between her and Sans in one night. Shoving away her disappointment, she began to get to her feet.

“I should probably—” Her awkward farewell was cut off by the hand that suddenly gripped her wrist. Aeris paused, nearly wobbling dangerously on the balls of her feet. She sat back down and looked over at Sans, who had his gaze focused on his lap. He looked like he was having a fierce internal battle about something. Aeris frowned and gave her wrist a tug. It only made him hold tighter.

“Sans—”

“Wait,” he said quietly. It wasn’t a forceful command at all, but it made Aeris pause, her wide eyes focused on him as he closed his eye sockets and sighed, an air of trying to get himself together about him. “…Tell me something,” he said after a moment.

Aeris could only stare at him. “…What?”

“Tell me something,” he repeated himself, opening his eye sockets to glance up at her. Aeris didn’t understand why he was looking at her like that, like every word was causing him a great effort to speak. “Something personal.”

She tilted her head, frowning at him. Where was this coming from? Was this from his desire to know her better? Or…was it an attempt to even the score, since he apparently felt that she knew too much? Either way, she had no idea, but when she tried again to tug her wrist back, it became clear that Sans wasn’t about to let her leave without fulfilling his request. And his grip was starting to hurt…

Aeris sighed, scratching the side of her head with her free hand. “Like what?” She asked, frowning at the skeleton. What did want from her, exactly? She could go over all her likes and dislikes with him—again—but that didn’t seem to be what he was asking…

Sans huffed. Aeris had never seen him so frustrated before. It was a little unnerving.

“Anything,” he insisted, scowling at his lap, his hand still clasped firmly around her wrist. “Tell me anything private. Anything you haven’t told anyone else. Tell me…”

He lifted his skull, piercing her with a gaze so intense that it made heat rush effortlessly to her face. “…Tell me why you love me,” he requested quietly.

Aeris froze.

Not that. _Anything_ but that. She had just gotten shot down by him just this afternoon, and _now_ he was demanding to know _why_ she was in love with him? Was he trying to humiliate her? If so, he was doing a damn good job.

Aeris’ free hand automatically pressed over her mouth, as if to prevent the truth from escaping her lips. She broke her gaze away from him, staring down into the sea, her face on fire. She couldn’t do this. Not tonight. She couldn’t go there with him right now, not when she was feeling so raw from this afternoon, of being told that the memories she shared with him were better off forgotten. The silence stretched on, spiraling horribly as Aeris violently fought the urge to flee. She wasn’t going to run from this, she had already decided this. But to reveal something so personal with someone who treated her like a stranger, even if she was still so very much in love with him…somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Another tally to fall under the “Aeris is a Coward” column. She was pathetic.

“…heh…”

The laugh was sudden and soft, and Sans’ hand slipped away from her wrist. Slowly, Aeris turned to look at him. His hands were in his pockets, his skull bowed, eye sockets closed, default grin in place.

“…Sorry,” he mumbled after a moment, perhaps sensing her gaze on him. “I guess that was really sudden. But it’s cool. You don’t have to answer. Not like I can blame ya—there’s not exactly any reason to love someone like me.”

Aeris felt her face go blank with shock. This conversation had taken a turn for the ultimate worst.

“…What?” She questioned him, as if she had misheard him. Sans chuckled again, glancing up at her, his expression sheepish.

“Well, ya know. It was probably infatuation the first time, right? The lure of the unfamiliar, or somethin’ like that. Not every day you get to romance a skeleton monster, right?” He laughed again, rubbing the back of his skull as he glanced away from her. “But I get it. If you were lookin’ for someone to pass the time, I’m glad you chose me instead of Papyrus. He deserves better than that. But me—”

Sans abruptly stopped talking. Aeris didn’t know why until she realized one of her hands was under his jaw, making it clamp shut. After that realization, she also came to the startling conclusion that she was furious with him right now. Glaring, she leaned forward, her face inches from his skull as she ground out words through her teeth.

“Stop. It.” She hissed, ignoring the shocked look that took over Sans’ expression. “Are you kidding me right now? You’re _still_ doing this? After all this time?” She huffed, rubbing the side of her head, where she could feel a headache starting to form. “Honestly, this was something I never understood about you!”

Sans leaned back, giving her a wary look.

“Wha—” He began, but Aeris didn’t let him finish.

“This!” She cut him off, gesturing to him. “This self-deprecating humor of yours! Tell me, who laughs when you tell these jokes? Because they’re not funny! So who’s actually encouraging you with laughter when you talk yourself down? Whoever it is, you need to stop hanging out with them, because they’re a shitty person for laughing at such harmful humor!”

Sans blinked at her. “…You swear, Snow?” He asked, sounding awed. Aeris huffed at him.

“Are you even listening to me?” She demanded of him, annoyed. She reached out, her hands grasping either side of his skull, once again ignoring the surprise that flitted through his expression. “I’m gonna say it again so maybe it’ll get through that thick skull of yours: jokes at your expense are _not funny._ I don’t know why you think they might be, but they’re _not!_ ”

As her anger began to burn out, sadness took its place, her heart aching in a way it hadn’t ached for a long time. Aeris gazed down at Sans, into the bewildered eye sockets of the punny bonehead she had unexpectedly fallen for three years ago. To hear him still speak about himself this way…it hurt. Now, instead of aching for him, Aeris ached _for_ him. Her thumbs stroked his cheekbones, the old habit dying hard. She noticed when a shudder went through him at this, but she pushed it aside, still needing to make her point.

“…Seriously,” she said in a much softer voice, feeling miserable as she looked at him, “what on _earth_ makes you think this is okay? I doubt Papyrus likes it when you tell these jokes, or Frisk, or Alphys, or anyone who knows you, really. Why would you ever believe that them hearing you hate yourself and turning it into a joke would be funny to them…?”

Sans apparently had nothing to say to this. As Aeris stared at him, his skull blushed blue, and though his jaw worked, no words came out. He simply stared at her, looking dumbstruck…and a little of something else…

“Aeris…” He finally said. But that was it. Just her name. Aeris fought against the blush she could feel rising in her face, and bumped her forehead into his, closing her eyes.

“You’re amazing, Sans,” she breathed, relishing in the closeness while she had it. “You’re absolutely wonderful.” She forced her eyes open, meeting his gaze, pushing past her embarrassment to answer the question he’d asked: “ _That’s_ why I love you.”

Sans’ breath hitched. Aeris didn’t give him a chance to say anything; she pressed her lips to his right cheekbone, then to the corner of his jaw, trailing kisses down his mandible. She didn’t care if this was too soon, and only cared a little that she might be making him uncomfortable. Right now, Sans was hers, and she was going to let him know it in the most non-verbal way possible.

“ _Aeris,_ ” Sans hissed, his voice weak, his bones rattling as he trembled under her touch. God, she missed this, missed the effortless way something as simple as a kiss from her seemed to set him off, his breath coming in pants now, his jaw clenching shut as she finally reached what she wanted, her lips mere centimeters away from his teeth—

Something shrill and annoying pierced through the moment. Both Aeris and Sans jumped, frozen in their own degrees of shock. It took Aeris a moment to realize that it was her cell phone that was making that noise, and she closed her eyes and swore vehemently under her breath. Of all the times—

“…You’d better answer that,” Sans mumbled. His voice wasn’t quite as steady as it should’ve been. Aeris made herself breathe, since there was no time to count to ten, now. He was absolutely right—if she didn’t answer her cell phone, whoever it was—most likely Papyrus—was going to be giving her an earful about it later. And as much as she wanted to finish that kiss…

Sighing, Aeris drew back from Sans, fishing her cell phone out of her pocket. It was a number that contained a lot of sixes. She didn’t recognize it. More annoyed than ever, Aeris almost hung up…but something made her answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hey!” It was Reyna. “Listen, hun, I need a favor. You busy?”

Aeris glanced over at Sans, who was watching her, his gaze careful. “I was,” she said, not bothering to hide her irritation. She turned away from him, frowning into the distance. “Did I give you my number, Reyna?”

“Of course you did. How else would I have gotten it?” As Aeris tried to remember when exactly the number exchange took place, Reyna continued, “Like I said, I need you to do something for me. I have a monster in here who collects rare coins, and I said I’d bring him one of those collector coins you make with a penny and fifty cents…but I left it on the counter in the kitchen. Can you grab it and bring it to me?”

Aeris scowled. A collector’s coin? _That’s_ what Reyna had interrupted her for? True, Reyna couldn’t have known what she had interrupted with this stupid phone call, but still—

“Please, Aeris?” Reyna asked, her tone turning pleading. “He said he’d pay me about five thousand gold for the coin, and he’s only here for one night. You’d _really_ be doing me a favor.”

Aeris sighed a very long sigh. Curse her desire to help others in need.

“Fine,” she relented at last, glaring at her phone, as if Reyna could see her. “But you owe me _so_ big. You have no idea right now.”

“Thank you!! See you soon!”

Reyna hung up before Aeris could. She gave another sigh and dropped her phone back into her pocket. So much for following Reyna’s advice…not that Aeris would’ve gone through with it…probably…

Her face red, Aeris stood up.

“I have to go.”

“I heard.” Sans gained his feet as well. They looked at each other for a moment.

“Sans—” Aeris began, but the skeleton shook his head at her.

“Don’t.” He gave her a serious look. “Don’t apologize.”

Blushing, Aeris shut her mouth. She had no idea what else to say. If Sans didn’t want her to be sorry for her behavior…

“…Well,” she began, tugging on a strand of her hair and biting her lip. “I…I’ll see you later.”

‘ _How lame can you get?_ ’ She chided herself, but it seemed to be just fine, judging by the slow smile that spread across Sans’ skull.

“Yeah. See you later,” he agreed. Aeris returned the smile hesitantly, and they went their separate ways for the night, perhaps walking a little more swiftly than was necessary.

Aeris pressed her hands to her face and groaned, the heat from her moment with Sans still coursing through her blood. Reyna owed her big time for this stupid coin, and Aeris intended to let her know how big as soon as she got to Grillby’s II.

…But, then again…maybe some things were just better kept to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...
> 
> What?
> 
> Did you really think it was going to be that easy?
> 
> PFFT.
> 
> You think too much of me, my dear readers.
> 
> :D
> 
> ~Reyna


	6. Next Contestant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn these musical references in the titles.
> 
> I can't stop.
> 
> THEY'RE A THING NOW.
> 
> Also, if you see some empty boxes in the text, it means the Japanese text didn't go through.
> 
> That's right. More Japanese.
> 
> FIGHT ME.
> 
> ~Reyna

“So, this is just an observation, so don’t take it the wrong way…but…”

Aeris looked up from her book long enough to notice Reyna was frowning at her, her game controller held loosely in her hands, a cut scene of the game she was playing paused on the TV screen.

“You have, like, _no_ clothes,” she finished, sounding needlessly offended by the fact. “Seriously, it’s been a week. Where’s your luggage?”

“My mom said she was going to send it…” Aeris said, pulling out her phone to check her messages. No new texts from her mother. “Maybe she’s just been busy…”

“Okay, but you can’t keep wearing the same two outfits you have,” Reyna insisted, getting up from the couch. She tossed her game controller to the side, where it floated harmlessly over to sit on top of its console. “Come on, get up. We’re going shopping.”

Aeris marked her place in her book and set it aside on the end table next to her. “Well, I guess I can afford a few things…”

“That’s the spirit. Hurry up and get dressed,” Reyna commanded, heading down the hallway into her room. A minute later, she stepped out, dressed impossibly fast in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a fur-lined vest. She stared at Aeris. “What, you’re not ready yet?”

Aeris scowled as she made her way past Reyna.

“Not all of us are magical, you know,” she grumbled, ignoring Reyna’s snickering behind her as she went to her room to get dressed for the day.

“いってきます _,_ ココロちゃん _,_ ” Reyna called to the house once Aeris was ready to go, pausing at the threshold to say goodbye.

“いってらしゃい _,_ レーナ様 _._ Have a safe trip, Miss Aeris.”

“Thanks, Kokoro,” Aeris called back, only a little embarrassed now to be talking to a house. The door shut behind them, and she and Reyna trooped down the stairs, Aeris a little more confident about her balance now…though she kept a hand outstretched towards the rope railing, just in case. She gave Reyna’s back a curious look. “So…why Kokoro?”

Reyna turned to grin at her. “‘Cause home is where the heart is,” she joked. Aeris couldn’t help but smile at that.

“No, I mean, why Japanese?” She clarified as they reached the end of the stairs. Reyna jumped down to the ground, and though Aeris’ heart jumped into her throat at such a gesture like it always did, Reyna always landed safely, her fall magically slowed. It was kind of cool to watch…when it wasn’t giving Aeris a heart attack.

“Ah.” Reyna paused, waiting for Aeris to climb her way down like a normal human before she answered. “Because I love Japanese. I’m on a break now, but I teach English in Japan.”

Aeris raised her eyebrows. “You? A teacher?”

Reyna grinned at that. “I know, right? Who thought it was a good idea to put me in charge of children?”

“No, I just…didn’t picture you as someone who…liked kids.” Reyna glanced over at Aeris as they walked, and Aeris blushed, getting the feeling that her lie wasn’t as subtle as she thought. Truth be told…Reyna didn’t really seem kid-friendly to Aeris, with the way she walked around the apartment in nothing but short shorts and a camisole, swearing like a sailor as she furiously mashed buttons on her controller and openly talking about Aeris’ (lack of) love life.

And Reyna smirked, as if she knew exactly what was going on in Aeris’ head.

“I didn’t think I was someone who liked kids, either. And true, sometimes my kids drive me crazy. But I love them, and I love what I do. It’s becoming rarer and rarer for people to actually enjoy what they do, so I consider myself lucky that I found something I actually find fulfilling, instead of just a job, you know?”

Aeris stared at Reyna. Usually she was always grinning or scowling about something, both expressions sometimes frightening in their own ways, but this…listening to her talk about teaching English in Japan...it brought a tenderness to her expression that Aeris had never seen before. It made her smile a little, knowing that there was something out there that made her friend that happy. …Though…something didn’t add up now…

“So why are you here?” Aeris asked, hoping the question wasn’t too intrusive as they made their way through the woods. “You really love your teaching job, right? So why leave it?”

Reyna shrugged, as if the answer was of little consequence.

“Because I have something more important to take care of right now.” She turned to Aeris, raising a knowing eyebrow. “You know what that’s like, right?”

Heat flooded Aeris’ face, and she didn’t respond.

Since neither of them had vehicular transportation, they walked their way to Monster Town, unanimously agreeing that human clothing stores were out. Aeris vehemently refused to enter Bratty and Catty’s boutique again, so they stuck to the normal clothing stores, where Aeris was able to stock up on jeans, sweaters, socks and underwear.

“Sure you don’t want anything lacy?” Reyna suggested from outside Aeris’ changing room as Aeris tried on different bras. She rolled her eyes at her reflection.

“I’m sure, Reyna. Trust me, no one’s going to be seeing my underwear anytime soon.”

“Eh. Never say never,” Reyna said, her tone implying trouble. Aeris ignored her.

Once Aeris made her final decision between two sweaters she was debating between, she and Reyna gathered her choices and began to head to the register, when Reyna reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop.

“Look at _this,_ ” she enthused, gazing open-mouthed at a bunny mannequin before them, wearing a drop-dead gorgeous black gown, with a high slit on the left side and a plunging neckline in front, clasping to a close at the base of the neck. Aeris glanced between Reyna and the dress, giggling at the unmistakable lust in Reyna’s eyes.

“You should totally buy it,” she enthused, “it would look great on you.”

Reyna gave her a look. “Me? Please. I don’t have the legs for it, and my boobs would pop right out of it.” She eyed Aeris up and down, a slow grin beginning to spread across her face. “You, however…”

Aeris’ grin dropped. “No way.”

“Oh come on, just try it on!”

“Why? When would I ever need a dress like that?”

“You never know,” Reyna said, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. Before Aeris could stop her, she called to a nearby shop attendant. “Excuse me! My friend would like to try this dress on!”

“Ah, an excellent choice!” The monster purred with an unctuous grin. “Just a moment, please…”

Before Aeris knew it, she was in the gorgeous dress, in front of a three-way mirror, admiring herself from all angles. And she was thoroughly embarrassed about it.

“I’m not buying this,” she grumbled to Reyna, who had returned after disappearing for a few minutes—presumably to have a cigarette. Reyna looked her up and down, her grin widening.

“Damn, girl. You might turn me,” she teased, and Aeris’ blush deepened.

“Are you listening to me?” She asked as Reyna circled her, nodding approvingly. “I’m never gonna wear this, so I’m not buying it.”

“You don’t have to,” Reyna said, hands on her hips as she grinned up at Aeris. “I just did.”

Aeris gaped at her.

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Don’t thank me,” Reyna said, laughing at Aeris’ expression. “It’s my gift to you, hun.”

“I can’t accept this! Did you _see_ the price tag?”

Reyna shrugged. “Remember that guy with the coin fascination? He got super excited by the coin you brought me, so he paid me quadruple what he originally offered for it. And I wouldn’t have that gold if it weren’t for you, so I decided to spend it on you.”

“You can’t—”

“Too late,” Reyna cut her off, giving her a look. “Jeez, what is it with you and accepting favors? You think I’m gonna make you my slave if I spend a little gold on you?” She eyed Aeris again with a grin. “Although, in that dress—”

“Reyna,” Aeris grumbled, frowning at her roommate. “Seriously. I can’t accept this.”

“You can and you will,” Reyna insisted, folding her arms and mimicking Aeris’ stubborn look. “I burned the receipt, so you can’t return it.” And then, quick as a flash, she snatched the price tag off the dress. Aeris could only stare at her as Reyna crumpled the tag in her hand, grinning wickedly. “Like it or not, you’re stuck with it.”

Aeris sighed loudly, plucking at the skirt of the dress.

“It’s too sexy,” she complained, but it was half-hearted, since she was already defeated. Reyna chuckled under her breath.

“It’s just the right amount of sexy,” she disagreed, turning Aeris around to face herself in the mirror, grinning over her shoulder. “Trust me, if you could wear what you wore to the Royal Guard wedding, you can wear this.”

Aeris frowned at Reyna’s reflection in the mirror. “Did I tell you about that…?”

“Of course you did,” Reyna said briskly, fussing with Aeris’ hair. “How else would I know? Now, as good as you look in this, it should really be saved for a special occasion. So go change.”

Aeris sighed again, feeling very much like a life-sized Barbie doll. But, while she still sincerely doubted she’d ever have an occasion to wear this dress, it was with careful hands that she slipped the dress back into its plastic covering before changing back into her normal clothes. Needed or not…she supposed it was okay to have a few nice things.

Now all she had to do was figure out how to pay Reyna back. No matter what her strange roommate said, Aeris got the distinct feeling that being in debt to Reyna was not something she wanted to be.

 

* * *

 

Now weighed down with a couple shopping bags, Aeris and Reyna spent the rest of the early afternoon wandering around, window shopping and joking around. Aeris wasn’t aware of how wide she was grinning until Reyna asked her why she looked like she slept with a hanger in her mouth.

“Oh…nothing,” she replied, pressing her hands to her embarrassed face. “I just never realized how much I missed having girl time before now. The last time I went shopping like this was three years ago, with Alphys and Undyne—”

“Who?” Reyna questioned around the straw in her mouth; for some reason, she was drinking a milkshake, though it couldn’t have been warmer than thirty degrees outside. Aeris rolled her eyes.

“Glasses and Gills,” she said, and comprehension dawned on Reyna’s face.

“Ah. Well, I’m glad you’re having fun, hun,” she said with a smile. They were reaching the edge of Monster Town, and Aeris was about to suggest they turn around when she spotted an unfamiliar building at the very edge of town. She paused, frowning. When had they added that?

“What’s the, er, ‘Magic Eight Ball’?” She asked, squinting at the sign, as if there was no way she could be reading it right. Reyna snorted.

“This pool hall that opened up a while ago. It’s run by a human, of all things, so it’s one of the few places in town that both humans and monsters mingle. You don’t wanna go over there,” she added when Aeris took a curious step forward. “A rough crowd frequents that place.”

Aeris shrugged. “Then we don’t have to go in. I’ve just never seen a pool hall before.”

Reyna gave her the look she sometimes wore when she was reminded of how sheltered Aeris was. “Bless your heart,” she said in an exaggerated Southern accent. Aeris rolled her eyes and moved forward, approaching the pool hall.

It was kind of hard to see anything—the front window was tinted so dark that Aeris got the distinct impression that whoever ran this place didn’t want people passing to see what was happening inside. Still, she squinted through the tint, making out several pool tables in the large space, as well as several large bodies, though it was hard to tell which were man and which were beast. A thick haze seemed to hover over the place, and Aeris couldn’t decide if it was cigarette smoke, or some kind of cloudy magic.

“Hmm,” Reyna hummed from beside her, sounding thoughtful. “Looks like my kind of place…maybe I should’ve asked to work here instead.” Aeris laughed softly at that, but yelped when Reyna suddenly said, “Hey…isn’t that your skelebae over there?”

Aeris turned her head so fast she nearly got whiplash, her cheek pressed against the window as she stared where Reyna was pointing. Come to think of it, that white skull looked _very_ familiar…

Aeris watched, awed as Sans leaned over a pool table, pool stick in hand. She didn’t even know he was interested in billiards. Was this a new thing? Or had this always been an interest, and she just never knew it…?

She was tempted to stay and watch, no matter how stupid she looked pressed up against the window like this, but her desire to do so was quickly doused when she noticed a leggy blonde strut up next to Sans, her fingertips tracing across his shoulders. Aeris watched as Sans looked up at the blonde and grinned, and her heart plummeted down to her knees.

But it was nothing compared to how Reyna apparently felt about the situation.

“Oh _hell_ no,” she growled, moving away from the window to stomp towards the door. Aeris caught her arm, panic seizing her.

“No, no, don’t go in there, Reyna, please!”

Reyna turned to look at her, scowling. “Why not? You see what’s happening, don’t you? Don’t you wanna stop it?”

“It’s not my place,” Aeris insisted, her gaze dropping to the ground. “It’s not like we’re still dating…so he’s…not exactly cheating on me, right…?”

Reyna paused. Aeris dared to glance up, only to find that her roommate was giving her a deadpan look.

“Aeris,” she said, her eyebrows slowly disappearing behind her bangs, “that is bullshit and you know it.” She tugged her arm from Aeris’ grasp, pulling on the door handle. “I’m going in, and I’m kicking _someone’s_ ass. If you wanna stay here, that’s your call. But you can’t stop me.”

And sure enough, she walked right in, ignoring the guy who called after her, stating she needed to pay an entrance fee. Biting her lip, Aeris followed, apologizing profusely to the man behind the counter and promising him that she’d get her friend out of there as soon as possible. She just hoped no blood had to be shed in order for that to happen.

Aeris entered just as Reyna called in a loud voice, “Weeell, look who it is! Smiley bone bag!”

Sans turned, the look on his face making it clear just how he felt about the nickname.

“Heh. I know humans are allowed here, but I didn’t think they were letting in demons, too,” he said, grinning in a menacing way at Reyna as she approached him. Aeris dashed after her, and though she couldn’t see the face Reyna was making, it couldn’t have been friendly—the blonde backed off, her eyes wide as she hurried over to the bar, away from Reyna. As Aeris appeared at her roommate’s shoulder, Sans’ eye sockets widened. Aeris blushed, remembering the last time they were in close proximity to each other, and ducked her head in embarrassment.

“Hey, Snow,” Sans greeted after a moment, and Aeris peeked at him. His expression was friendly. That was good…at least, it was friendly until he glanced over at Reyna again. “You _do_ realize you’re hangin’ out with the Big, Bad Wolf, right?”

Aeris smiled weakly at that. “Wrong fairytale,” she said. Sans shrugged carelessly, taking a swig from a nearby ketchup bottle.

“My point still stands,” he insisted. Reyna grinned widely, appearing to take this as a compliment.

“What’s the matter? Afraid I’m gonna eat your princess up?” She asked, slinging an arm around Aeris’ waist. Aeris flushed red, scowling at her roommate.

“Reyna,” she mumbled in a reproving manner, but Sans interrupted before she could say anything else.

“Nah, I’m not worried. Snow’s tougher than she looks,” he complimented. Somehow, Aeris’ face grew redder. He grinned a hostile grin at Reyna as he added, “Which is more than I can say for you, she-devil. Such a shame you seem to think doing good deeds for one person is enough to wash away your sins, isn’t it?”

Reyna twitched beside Aeris. Aeris glanced over at her face, and immediately wished she hadn’t—clearly, Sans had touched a nerve.

Reyna suddenly lurched forward, a hand shooting out and grabbing Sans by his collar.

“Listen _here,_ you _little shit,_ ” she began, her teeth bared in an alarming grin as she stared down at Sans, who didn’t look threatened in the slightest, returning her grin ten-fold, his left eye socket flaring with blue light. The air grew tense in the hall, and Aeris could see the man behind the counter beginning to make his way forward, scowling. If she didn’t do something, this was going to get ugly real fast.

“Stop it!” She insisted, forcing her way in between Reyna and Sans. She faced Reyna, her arms outstretched, shielding Sans from any harm Reyna was intending to do to him. “Reyna, stop. Please. It isn’t worth it.”

Aeris wasn’t sure if Reyna heard her; her grin was tight, her eyes narrowed so much that they became nothing more than pinpricks of color in the whites of her eyes. But Aeris kept her roommate’s gaze, determined to stop this fight before it started. As the seconds ticked by, she watched as Reyna gradually relaxed, her grin lessening and lessening until it disappeared completely. She sighed, closing her eyes and rolling her neck until it cracked. Aeris felt Sans twitch behind her, but she didn’t dare look back at him until she was sure Reyna was completely calm. After a moment, her roommate opened her eyes, which had mercifully returned to normal, and scowled at Aeris.

“You…are _so_ lucky Aeris likes you, Smiley,” Reyna huffed, keeping her gaze focused on Aeris even as she spoke to Sans. “Otherwise, you’d be in pieces right now.”

Sans laughed behind Aeris, the sound humorless. “I could say the same about you, she-devil.”

“All right, break it up!” Growled the counter man as he finally reached them. He grabbed Reyna’s and Aeris’ arms. “You two are outta here.”

“Samson, ease up,” Sans requested. Aeris jumped and blushed as she felt his fingers slide over her wrist, closing around it. “This one’s with me. You can throw the other one out, though.”

Reyna turned her frightening grin on the man called Samson.

“Oh, go ahead. I would _love_ to see you try,” she promised him. Aeris watched Samson’s Adam’s apple bob up and down, and he let go of her and Reyna. Reyna made a show of straightening her jacket, brushing off the sleeves as she looked at Aeris. “I’m gonna take off for a bit. Cool my head. If you wanna stick around for a while, I’ll take your shopping bags back to our place.”

“Oh, but—” Aeris began, but Reyna took her bags from her before she could think of anything to say. With what looked like a monumental effort, Reyna smiled.

“Relax, it’s no big deal.” Her gaze shifted to Sans, narrowing just a bit. “I’ll be back for you later,” she promised to Aeris, though it sounded more like a warning to Sans, if anything. Swinging the extra bags up onto her arms, Reyna turned on her heel and marched out of the pool hall, her strut confident and her head held high. She took the tension in the room with her when she departed, and everyone began to relax again, resuming their games, Samson grumbling under his breath as he returned to his counter. Aeris turned, glancing down at Sans, who was watching her with an unreadable expression. Her blush deepened, and she cleared her throat a little.

“Um,” was all she could think to say, lifting her arm so Sans could see his fingers still clinging to her wrist. He grinned in a nervous way and dropped his hand.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” he apologized, though Aeris understood that he was apologizing for more than what he was saying. She simply nodded, not trusting her own voice yet. It was awkward for a long moment.

A smooth, familiar voice broke the silence.

“ _Ay_ , the line for the men’s room was insane. Sorry to keep you waiting, _cabron_ , I—”

Aeris turned, and the speaker paused, his dark eyes widening in surprise. Though Aeris had never seen the man in anything but nursing scrubs—which were a contrast compared to the jeans and t-shirt he wore now—she recognized him immediately, and a grin spread across her face.

“Dante,” she greeted him fondly, “long time no see.”

“Miss Crown!” He returned, accepting the hug Aeris gave him.

“Call me Aeris,” she requested, pulling back to grin at him. “How are you?”

“Good,” Dante replied, grinning a little as he touched Aeris’ face, taking in how healthy her skin looked now, she guessed. “ _Dios mio_ , Sans told me you were in town, but I wasn’t expecting to see you. And it’s very good to see you.”

“Yeah,” Sans said, cutting into the conversation. Aeris glanced over at him, noting with some surprise that the look he was giving Dante wasn’t as friendly as it should’ve been. “Good to _see_ her,” the skeleton emphasized, his gaze going to Dante’s hands. Raising his eyebrows, Dante moved his hands away from Aeris, raising them in the air and taking a step back, as if she were a timed bomb about to explode.

“I get it, _cabron._ Don’t throw me into the wall or anything,” he requested, giving Aeris a sly wink. She blushed, biting her lip. Ridiculous. There was no way Sans would feel jealous of anyone else touching her right now…

“It’s your turn,” Sans said, gesturing toward the pool table. Dante nodded, picking up the spare pool stick that was lying across the table. Aeris watched, unsure what to do with herself as Dante lined up his shot, aiming for the thirteenth and fifteenth ball. His stick hit the cue ball, and it rocketed towards his targets, smashing into the thirteenth ball, which ricocheted into the fifteenth ball, sending them rolling into the corner right pocket and right pocket, respectively.

“Yes,” Dante hissed, jabbing the air with his fist. “That’s twenty gold for me, _cabron._ ”

“I’m keeping track,” Sans assured him, leaning over for his next shot. Aeris stared at the pair of them.

“You’re betting on this game?”

“Oh yeah. Makes it interesting.” Dante grinned at her, his hands resting on top of his pool stick. “Plus, the exchange rate between human money and gold works out quite nicely in my favor.”

Aeris grinned at that. “So who wins, usually?”

“Sans. But he cheats,” Dante added, giving the skeleton a sour look as Sans sank three different balls into the same pocket. Sans looked up, grinning at Dante.

“My magic doesn’t work that way, I keep telling you,” he said, straightening up as Dante moved around the pool table, searching for the right angle for his next shot. “I can only toss around souls. It has no effect on the balls.”

“So you say,” Dante said, and Aeris giggled a little at their banter. It was really nice to see Sans getting along so well with another human that wasn’t her or Frisk…or a leggy blonde…

Aeris caught said blonde staring at them, her lips puckered. She sobered, feeling self-conscious. What was she doing here again?

As if he plucked the question from her head, Dante suddenly asked, “So what brings you by, Aeris? Just passing through?”

“Ah…I was out shopping with a friend of mine, and, as we were walking by, we, er, spotted Sans,” she said, feeling herself blush and hating it. She glanced again towards the blonde at the bar, wondering who she was to Sans, before looking quickly away. Not quickly enough, however; Sans had followed her line of vision, and now he was looking at her with an expression that was almost…guilty. Aeris looked away from him, folding her arms, her emotions chaotic. Maybe she should’ve left with Reyna.

“Hey!” Samson suddenly called from across the dim hall, staring right at Aeris. “Look, missy, if you’re staying, ya gotta pay like everyone else!”

“Oh,” Aeris said, startled and blushing, “I’m sorry. How much—?”

“I’ve got it,” Sans said, putting his pool stick down before he began to stroll over to Samson. “You sit tight, Princess.”

Aeris blinked, forgetting her protests in surprise. Did Sans just call her ‘Princess’?

Dante tapped her arm, gesturing to two bar stools near their pool table. They sat, Dante spinning a little on his stool as he inspected Aeris.

“So,” he began, his tone full of meaning, “how’re things with you and Sans?”

Aeris gave him a helpless look. He nodded solemnly.

“I figured as much. Must’ve been a real shock for you, to come back and find him like that.”

Aeris sighed. “Yeah…but lately, I’ve been thinking it’s my punishment. You know, for leaving, and not telling anyone I was alive for three years. I thought I was doing the right thing, but…”

She trailed off, biting her lip. Dante reached over, patting her shoulder.

“Smile, Aeris. It looks better on you,” he assured her. Aeris tried, giving a smile that was flimsy, at best. But it was the best she could muster at the moment, and Dante must have known that, for he returned the smile. “And anyway, you shouldn’t worry. I have a theory about Sans’ lost memories. I don’t think they’re gone, exactly…just repressed. For some reason, he blocked them in his mind, and now he can’t get them back, like he locked them away in a box and lost the key. But they’re still there, definitely.”

Aeris frowned at that. “How can you be so sure? Isn’t it more likely that the accident he was in just…blasted those memories away?”

Dante nodded solemnly, spinning the pool stick in his grasp.

“That’s very likely, too. The only reason I think it’s actually just repression instead of full-on amnesia is because I’ve been watching him. For one thing, since his memories of me are connected to his memories of you, he’s forgotten me as well. But when he met me again, he treated me like we were already old friends. He readily admitted he didn’t remember me, but he still acted like he did.” Dante’s dark gaze switched over to Aeris, wondering. “Did you notice a moment like that when he saw you again? A moment that made you almost sure he _did_ remember you, in some way?”

Aeris’ mind went back to that day at Grillby’s II. She had been crying, and Sans had gripped her hand and looked at her with such a sad expression, like he was hating the sight of her tears. And it wasn’t like crying girls in general bothered him…

“Hey!” Dante suddenly shouted, and Aeris jumped. He wasn’t talking to her, however; he got up from his stool and approached a couple guys who were surrounding the pool table he and Sans were using. “This pool table’s still being used, guys.”

One of the men looked at Dante like he was an insignificant ant the man was considering squishing under his boot. “Doesn’t look like it from where I’m standing.”

As Dante began to argue with the men trying to take over his and Sans’ pool table, Aeris got to her feet, biting her lip. She should do something, shouldn’t she? Maybe she could pretend to play pool with Dante so those guys would go away—they couldn’t complain if the table was still being used, right? Oh, but Sans and Dante were betting on this game…she didn’t want to mess that up, either…

Aeris debated with herself, not noticing she wasn’t alone until an unfamiliar hand slipped around her waist, pulling her closer to an unfamiliar body.

“Thought he’d _never_ leave,” muttered a voice in her ear, and Aeris jumped, turning wide eyes onto the stranger beside her. He leered at her, his yellowing teeth on full display. “Hey there, Sugar. I gotta tell ya, them legs of yours? They’ve been drivin’ me wild since the moment ya walked in.”

Aeris stared at him. He…he wasn’t serious, was he? Were all men this aggressive when they hit on women they didn’t know? She was preferring Aaron’s advances right about now—he might’ve been ridiculous, but at least he didn’t think it was okay to just put his hands on her.

“So what’re ya drinkin’?” He asked, his arm tightening around her as she tried to edge out of his grasp. “Name it and I’ll get it for ya, Sugar. Anything to see them legs a little better—”

“I think you can see them just fine,” Aeris began, her voice low as her gaze fixed defiantly on him, “from the other side of the room. Now let go of me, or I’ll scream.”

The man’s expression froze, and then his grin widened, growing nasty.

“Spitfire, eh? Can’t say I don’t like that—”

“Hey.”

The relief that washed through Aeris at that simple word was staggering. She turned, glimpsing Sans from her peripheral vision. The light was gone from his eye sockets, making his grin a thousand times more ominous.

“I don’t think she wants to talk to you, buddy,” Sans pointed out, his hands in his pockets. “So why don’t you just back away slowly, before someone gets hurt.”

The man sneered at Sans. Aeris noticed that Dante had spotted what was going on, but was now being deterred from getting to them by the two men that had been so intent on stealing their pool table a moment ago. That’s when she realized—those men didn’t want the pool table after all. This had been a set-up.

“Yeah?” The man growled, and Aeris cringed away from him, hating the sound of his voice in her ear. “And what’re you gonna do about it? It’s not like you can fight for ‘er like a real man, bein’ nothin’ but bones. Maybe you should just mind yer own business, eh Skeleton Man?”

As if to prove a point, the man gave Aeris’ side a pinch. She yelped in response, her face flushing red, angry with herself for reacting. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of blue light. Suddenly, the man was ripped from her, flying backwards into another pool table. Aeris stared, her mouth open as the man blinked, looking dazed. A blue heart was floating in front of him, and as he tried to straighten up, he was hoisted into the air. Several gasps rose with him, pool games being put on hold to watch the phenomenon. Sans had his hand in the air, his left eye socket flaring with power. He grinned up at the suddenly terrified man, who was shouting and cursing to be let down this instant, cries that fell on deaf, non-existent ears when it came to Sans.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said quietly, before he brought his hand down, and the man slammed into the floor. He barely had time to groan in pain before Sans was lifting him up into the air again, and then slamming into the floor, bouncing him like a human-shaped basketball. Aeris could only watch in horror for a brief moment before she regained her senses, rushing forward and grabbing Sans’ hand before he could let it drop again.

“Sans, stop it!” She told him, keeping a tight grip on his wrist. “You’ll kill him!”

Sans turned his frightening grin on her next, and Aeris felt her heart freeze in her chest. She had never seen him look like this before. With such a blood-thirsty expression, she found herself believing him to be the monster he was a long time ago, when he hunted humans to break the barrier separating monsters from humans in the Underground.

“…And?” He questioned her, as if he wished to confirm her worst fears of him. “So he dies. Who’s going to miss scum like this?”

“I won’t let you do it,” Aeris protested, her stubborn gaze focused on him as her grip tightened on his arm. “I won’t let you become a murderer again because of me!”

Sans’ grin twitched at that, slowly falling as he looked at Aeris. His hesitation was enough—the blue light faded from his eye socket, and the man went crashing to the floor one last time as Sans lost his hold on him. His buddies rushed over to him as he groaned in agony, and Samson stomped over once again, looking murderous.

“That’s it! OUT!” He ordered, pointing a large hand at the door.

“Samson, he was provoked!” Dante objected, finally able to make his way back over to them. “That _bendejo_ , he—”

“I don’t care! Get out!”

Dante began to argue heatedly with him, some Spanish slipping in that Aeris was certain was not polite, but Sans didn’t seem interested in the argument. He reached for Aeris’ wrist, keeping a firm grip on her as he tugged her out of the pool hall. Aeris allowed it until they were outside, in the alley beside the pool hall, and then she pulled her wrist out of his grasp.

“That was completely uncalled for,” she told him point blank, folding her arms and glaring at him. Sans had his back to her, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

“You think so?” He asked, his tone of voice mild, as if they were discussing the weather. Aeris glared harder at his back.

“You don’t? You nearly killed that guy, and for what? Yeah, he was being smarmy, but I could’ve handled it!”

“Yeah?” Sans turned to glance back at Aeris. The pinpricks of light in his eye sockets were gone once again. “Then why’re you shaking, Princess?”

Aeris paused. What was he talking about? She wasn’t shaking. She was…

A shiver went through her spine, and she clutched at her arms, feeling the blood drain from her face. She _was_ shaking. She was shaking so hard that she was surprised she needed Sans to point it out to her. Had Aeris really been so wrapped up in her anger with Sans that her fear was going completely ignored?

Her knees threatened to give way. Aeris backed up, into the wall behind her, attempting to prop herself up with it, even as she could feel her feet sliding in the snow, her legs refusing to support her weight. She shivered again, glancing up at Sans. He was turned completely towards her now, the grin gone from his face, his eye sockets wide and concerned on her.

“I-I’m just cold,” Aeris stammered, ducking her gaze away from his. She heard him take a step forward as she slid an inch further down the wall.

“You’re scared, Aeris.”

“I’m not,” she protested, even as her legs completely failed her and she sat there, shivering in the snow, staring at nothing. “I’m not s-scared. I’m fine. I’m…”

But as she closed her eyes, her mind took her down a dark, winding path. She couldn’t fight. She didn’t know how to defend herself. If she had been alone in that pool hall, with no one there with any incentive to help her…where would she be right now?

Aeris shivered so violently that her teeth began to chatter. She hated this. Why did she always have to go to pieces in front of Sans? True, she had never been faced with such a situation before, but she always liked to think that she would be able to handle it, when the time came. But as soon as she was faced with the real thing, what did she do? She fell apart. Fantastic.

She jumped as she felt fingers touching her face. But it was just Sans. She stared at him, wide-eyed as he sank down next to her. What was he doing?

“It’s okay,” he said to her, his voice soft, reassuring. Aeris slowly let her eyes drift closed again as his fingers stroked her cheeks, and she bit her lip to keep from crying. “It’s all right. You’re safe. I promise, you are safe.”

Unable to help herself, Aeris leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Sans. This was the most contact she’d had with him all week since that night on the cliff, and though she knew she might be pushing it, she just needed to be held right now. As if he sensed this, Sans obliged her, sliding his arms around her and holding her close. Aeris sighed deeply. It had been so long…

“You’re all right,” Sans promised again, his voice in her ear, making her shiver for different reasons. “I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you. I would’ve killed him before I let him touch you again.”

Aeris sighed again, some of her irritation from before returning.

“Murder is never the answer, Sans,” she mumbled, faintly annoyed that she even had to tell him this.

“It is when someone touches what’s mine.”

Aeris’ eyes flew open, freezing in Sans’ arms. What…was happening? Sans _never_ spoke about her like that before, his tone edged, bordering on possessive. After her most recent experience of being manhandled, it scared her a little. …But on the other hand…

Aeris pulled back a little, searching for Sans’ gaze. He gave it to her, and they stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Aeris found the strength to speak.

“I am not a thing, Sans,” she told him sternly. A flicker of a grin flitted across his skull.

“I didn’t call you a thing, Princess. I called you mine.” His grin widened. “And I notice that you don’t bother to deny it.”

Aeris frowned at him, stubbornly holding onto her anger, despite the blush she could feel burning in her cheeks. He was confusing the hell out of her. First, he states that he wants nothing to do with her. Next, he demands to know why she’s in love with him. Now, he was calling her his? What was going on? How could he act like he was so fond of her when he didn’t even remember who she was?

Abruptly, Dante’s voice floated through her mind:

_“Did you notice a moment like that when he saw you again? A moment that made you almost sure he **did** remember you, in some way?”_

Was this just his supposedly lost memory manifesting itself?

Aeris opened her mouth—she was still working on something to say—when the loud clearing of a throat sounded beside them. Aeris jumped, looking up with wide eyes.

Reyna was standing there, hands on her hips as she gazed down at the two of them, her eyebrows raised. Aeris stared at her. Why hadn’t she heard her approach?

“Am I interrupting?” She asked, looking wickedly amused.

“Yes,” Sans said at the same time Aeris replied, “No.” He looked at her, but she avoided his gaze, pushing herself onto her feet, her face red. Her head was starting to hurt, trying to figure him out. She had to get away from him for right now.

“See you later,” she mumbled, stumbling away, hooking an arm around one of Reyna’s and dragging her away from the scene as well. Reyna laughed, and Aeris’ face burned hotter.

“Well, well,” she drawled, keeping pace with Aeris’ long legs somehow, “if I had known you were the type to get it on right there in the snow, I would’ve left you alone.”

Aeris gave her a furious look. “We weren’t doing anything.”

“Yet.” Reyna winked. “It’s a good thing I came along when I did, huh? Can you imagine the scandal it would’ve caused if someone had seen you two fucking in an _alleyway_ of all places—”

“Reyna,” Aeris growled, looking away from her roommate, “shut up.”

Reyna cackled, but other than that, she didn’t say another word about Sans their whole walk home.

Which was good, because Aeris was already having a lot of trouble not thinking about him all the way home...and the fact that he seemed to know that she was still irrevocably his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sighs loudly*
> 
> Believe it or not, I'm just as frustrated as you guys are with this progress. Writer Reyna wants to push Aeris and Sans together and be like, "NOW KISS!" but OC Reyna keeps being all "lol NOPE". I think it's because OC Reyna would totally hatefuck Sans if she didn't like Aeris so much. :P
> 
> Well, next chapter, I can guarantee you smut. BE EXCITED. *Throws glitter everywhere*
> 
> ~Reyna


	7. Ghost of You and Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Shows up blowing a whistle and holding a blue stop sign*
> 
> STOP!!! This chapter starts off VERY NSFW!!! If you are reading this at work, please close your browser immediately and come back later!
> 
> The rest of you skeleton fuckers, enjoy! :D
> 
> ~Reyna

_“Ah…haah…haaaah…”_

_Her breath was hot on his bones. Her fingers trailed fire wherever they touched him, burning through him, right to his core. He gasped as her hand slipped into his shorts, nails digging into his ischium bone._

_“Ungh,” he groaned, torn between the desire to pull her wrist back up and the need for her to keep going, because he needed this, he needed her touch, he craved it, he couldn’t live without it._

_She laughed softly, her hair tickling his skull._

_“Still so sensitive,” she purred, and Sans panted as the tip of her tongue grazed the length of his vertebrae. He fought another groan, feeling his tongue slide out of his mouth of his own accord, beginning to drool. How did she do this? How in the world did she manage to make him feel so good that he felt like he was going crazy? She had to be a magician. There was no other way to explain it._

_She laughed again, raising her head to look at him. Her eyes, made of starlight, seemed to glow in the dark as she smirked at him._

_“Let’s find out how loud you can moan this time…”_

A door slammed somewhere. The skeleton jerked awake, sitting up so fast it made his head spin. He sat there for a moment, blinking bewilderedly in the dimness of his room, panting as if he had just run half a mile, his sweaty t-shirt sticking to him. Once he realized where he was, he let out a low, frustrated groan and covered his face with his hands.

They just kept happening. The dreams were getting worse. They had started out harmless enough, just dreams of him kissing Aeris or holding her hand…but now, they had gotten out of control. And he had no idea what the hell to do about it. How could he be having dreams like this about someone he barely knew? It was disgusting, and if she ever found out, Aeris would hate him almost as much as he hated himself for continuing to have such dreams about her.

Sans let out another groan, one of his hands trailing down his rib cage, unable to help himself. This one had felt so _real…_

Sans huffed, feeling his power flare of its own accord as he slipped his hand into his shorts. He had picked up a new trick recently, and found that it helped him to…relax, after these disconcerting dreams. He ground his teeth together, his fingers moving to the new appendage effortlessly, as if it had been there all along. Dear god, he hoped that slamming door that woke him up was Papyrus leaving, because if he was in his room, his poor brother was about to hear a lot more of Sans than he ever wanted to, and Sans blamed this particular dream for being so damn intense—

“Ah,” he groaned, squeezing his eye sockets shut as his hand worked the shaft, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted. “Ah, hah, mmf, nnn…”

Without meaning to, Sans thought of Aeris. His breath hitched as he pictured her with him, imagining that she was the one touching him, because all of his dreams starred her having her way with him, and he loved every single second of it. He groaned a little louder, his hand moving faster, the pressure building—

“Fuck,” he hissed under his breath, leaning forward, saliva dribbling down his jaw. “A-Aeris….!!” He came quickly, gripping the sheets with his free hand, a strangled moan escaping him. He shuddered as waves of pleasure rolled through him, and he lost focus, his magic dissipating as if it never was. His sense of self-loathing returned with a vengeance, however, as he realized he had just masturbated while thinking of Aeris. Disgusting. It wasn’t bad enough that he dreamed of her in a sexual way, oh no, he had to think of her like that during his waking hours, too. He was the worst.

As Sans let his skull fall into his free hand, wondering when exactly he had lost control of his life, a buzzing from his nightstand made him glance up. His phone was ringing. Feeling jittery, as if the person calling him knew his sins and was calling to tell him off, Sans quickly cleaned himself up with the tissues he kept by his bed for some reason, tossing them into the equally mysterious trash can by his bed before he snatched up his phone.

“H-hello?” He answered, hoping he sounded normal enough for whoever was calling; he hadn’t paused long enough to check the Caller ID.

“Hey, _cabron._ You just wake up?”

Sans let out a sigh. “Dante.”

“Yeah.” Dante paused. “ _Que pasa?_ You sound…not good.”

‘Not good’ was an understatement. Sans swallowed, lowering his voice, as if his walls were listening.

“Dante. The dreams are getting worse.”

This made the nurse pause again. “What? About Aeris?”

“Yeah. They…they won’t stop. No matter what I do, I keep dreaming about her. And I don’t understand _why._ I barely know her! I said maybe two words to her all week, but they’re still—”

“Easy, _cabron_ ,” Dante urged, his voice soothing. “It’s okay. Like I told you last time, you’re probably dreaming about her so much because you’re remembering the time you’ve spent with her in the past.”

That didn’t exactly help Sans; the growl that slipped through his teeth illustrated as much.

“So are they dreams? Or memories?”

“I can’t tell you, man. Why not ask Aeris? I bet she’d know.”

Sans chuckled darkly at that. “Oh, yeah, why not? That’ll be a great conversation: ‘Hey Aeris, do you remember me bending you over at any point, or you pressing me up against a wall while you sucked on my bones, or—’”

“ _Dios mio_ ,” Dante said, sounding uncomfortable. Sans, realizing that he had just given too much information, swore under his breath. “I, uh, didn’t know you were dreaming about her like _that._ ” He paused, and Sans was almost certain he was going to make up an excuse to hang up. But he surprised Sans. “For how long, man?”

“…Two weeks,” Sans admitted begrudgingly. Dante let out a low whistle on his end of the phone.

“Damn. Talk about blue balls.” He went quiet. “Er, or, blue…whatever you’ve got going on down there?”

Sans chuckled a little at the awkward turn in conversation. “‘Blue balls’ works.”

“Right.” Dante cleared his throat. “Well, I dunno what to tell you about… _that_ stuff, _cabron._ But as for the other stuff? Talk to Aeris. Then you’ll know for sure.”

Sans sighed, leaning back on his bed. “Talking. Right.”

“Is she not talking to you still?”

“Oh, she talks to me. When we’re in public. In a well-lit area. Surrounded by at least three other people who are involved in the conversation.”

“ _Ay._ ”

“Yeah.” Sans sighed, running his hand down his skull. “I think I was a little too honest with her the last time we talked. I don’t even know why I said what I said, but…looks like she’s afraid of me now.”

Dante sighed, as if he felt Sans’ pain.

“Well, I wish you luck with that, Sans. If you want answers, she’s the only way you’re going to get them. You’ll have to figure out a way to get her comfortable enough with you again to agree to talk to you in private.”

Sans let out a snort. “Yeah. ‘Scuse me, but I’m just gonna pray for a miracle instead.”

 

* * *

 

Aeris was _not_ avoiding Sans. She was just busy.

Determined to pay Reyna back for the shopping they did, Aeris had taken a job at Grillby’s II, helping Burgerpants out during the day, since Reyna seemed perfectly capable of running the place by herself at night. The Dog Squad was always fun to hang out with as she worked, and it was nice to have her own paycheck again, even if it was sort of coming from her roommate.

When Aeris wasn’t working, she spent time with her friends. Papyrus was always happy to hang out with her when he wasn’t working, though more often than not, they were at Mettaton’s rehearsals, which Aeris didn’t mind as much anymore; Shyren and Napstablook were both sweethearts, and during rehearsal breaks, they invited her on stage, and she and Shyren held humming concerts together as she learned the different functions of Napstablook’s synthesizer. Undyne and Alphys were always down to watch an episode or two of anime to destress from work and wedding planning—there was this new swimming anime they were both really invested in, and Aeris was not allowed to talk while they watched unless she wanted to get shushed to the nth degree. Evening tea with Asgore and Toriel had become a thing, and Frisk needed all the help with their homework that they could get—Calculus was kicking their ass. And Reyna, who was a surprisingly decent cook when she felt up to it, always made a point to have dinner with Aeris before she headed off to work for the night…though, because it was technically Reyna’s morning, dinner ended up being breakfast food more often than not. Still, Reyna’s french toast was pretty good, so Aeris wouldn’t complain.

Yes, Aeris was entirely too busy to see Sans outside of when they all hung out together.

That was her story, and she was sticking to it.

Snow was falling more frequently now, bringing with it an air of excitement. Christmas was coming soon, and Aeris was pleased to see that her friends were just excited about the coming occasion as she was. Papyrus was set on decorating every inch of his and Sans’ house, so as soon as he got time off work, Aeris went with him to buy all the lights, wreathes, and various assorted Christmas decorations that he could carry. Unfortunately, she couldn’t help put them up, due to having to work that afternoon, but the morning they spent choosing decorations was a morning well-spent.

“So what’d you get me for Christmas?” She had teased him when he’d dropped her off at Grillby’s II. Papyrus had gaped at her as if she had just thoroughly japed him.

“I can’t tell you that!” He had scolded her, looking offended that she would even ask. “If I tell you what kind of scarf I got you, it’ll ruin the surprise!!”

Papyrus then went quiet, apparently realizing what he had just said. “Er…did I say ‘scarf’?”

“Yes you did,” Aeris had admitted, grinning sheepishly at him. “But you didn’t tell me what _kind_ of scarf, if that helps.”

“Oh shoot. Well, time to go out and get you something else,” Papyrus had decided. Aeris had spent a few precious minutes of her clock-in time to try and assure him that the gift he had already gotten was just fine, but he had been adamant about it being a surprise, and wouldn’t hear another word of it. When he finally drove off, he had called to her out his window.

“Don’t worry!!! I’ll find you a gift that’ll be just as great as the ones you got me and Sans! Nyeh heh heh heh!”

And now here Aeris was, working on autopilot, her smile automatic while her thoughts were in a snarl.

The fact that Papyrus assumed she’d be getting Sans a gift made her worry that Sans was expecting a gift, too. And, after days of debating with herself, she had decided not to get him anything. It wasn’t an easy decision, either: she kept seeing things while she was out that she was certain he’d love, and she felt terrible at the thought of him feeling left out as she chose gifts for all their friends. But she just couldn’t get him a gift without it meaning more than just friendship. And friendship was what they were striving for right now, wasn’t it?

_“I didn’t call you a thing, Princess. I called you mine. And I notice that you don’t bother to deny it.”_

Aeris groaned to herself, pressing her hands to her face. She just didn’t know anymore. And she didn’t trust herself around him when they were alone, either, which was why she was keeping so busy to avoid him in the first place. When they were with friends, he acted like there was nothing more than casual friendship between them, which Aeris thought was what he wanted from her right now. But sometimes she’d catch him staring at her when she least expected it, and the way he looked at her—

“Psst! Aeris!”

Aeris jumped, blinking rapidly as her brain returned to the present.

“What?” She asked stupidly, and Burgerpants gave her a strange look.

“It’s not good to daydream on the job,” he told her, his look becoming slightly manic. “You may be friends with the boss, but I don’t think she’ll go easy on you if she catches you slacking off…and worse: she might blame _me_ for letting you slack off! Please don’t do this to me, Aeris! Please get back to work!”

“Oh…right,” Aeris mumbled, feeling herself blush. “Sorry, Burgerpants.”

But the dilemma haunted her all through her shift. And it was clearly bugging her at home, for Reyna had to snap her fingers directly in front of Aeris’ face to get her to snap out of it.

“What’s wrong with you?” Reyna demanded to know, frowning at Aeris. “You’ve been off in La-La Land all evening. What’re you thinking about that’s got you drooling like that?”

Aeris blinked, and then frowned.

“I am not drooling,” she protested, though she self-consciously rubbed a hand over her chin, just to make sure. Reyna stared at her, a grin slowly spreading across her face. “What?” Aeris demanded to know, not liking the look on her roommate’s face.

“Nothing,” Reyna replied, lifting a mug of coffee to her lips as she smirked at Aeris. “But, y’know, if it was a sexual fantasy, you could just tell me, and I’ll leave you alone. Go ahead, enjoy.”

Aeris gave her an annoyed look. “Why is everything about sex with you lately?”

Reyna gave a shrug. “Dunno. Could be because I’m not gettin’ any lately. So I’m trying to live vicariously through you.”

Aeris sighed, picking at her omelet. “That explains so much.”

“Really,” Reyna tried again, fixing Aeris with a studious gaze. “What’re you worried about?”

Sighing again, Aeris told Reyna her dilemma. When she was finished, Reyna frowned, her chin resting in the palm of her hand as she stared into space. “Hmmm…”

Aeris glanced at her from the corner of her eye, intrigued by her focus.

“Wow, you’re giving this serious thought? I thought you hated Sans, why would you care about whether or not I’m getting him a Christmas gift?”

Reyna snorted, distracted from her serious thinking.

“I don’t hate Sans…” she trailed off at the dark eyebrow Aeris raised at her. “Well, okay, yeah, he bugs the hell out of me. But I think we mostly clash because we’re really similar.”

Aeris frowned at this. “But that makes no sense. Shouldn’t it be the opposite? Like, people who are really different don’t get along, and people who are really similar become the best of friends? You know: birds of a feather, and all that?”

“Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘opposites attract’?” Reyna countered with a grin. She sipped from her mug again, growing uncharacteristically serious after a moment.

“What about the people who don’t like themselves, though?” She posed, regarding Aeris over the rim of her mug. “Do you think they’d get along with someone who’s exactly like them?”

Aeris blinked at that, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Oh…um…” To be honest, she had never actually considered that. And the fact that Reyna said it had her worrying that they needed to have a conversation of some sort.

But apparently, tonight was only about Aeris’ problems.

“I don’t see why you can’t get him a gift,” Reyna insisted before Aeris could think of anything to say. She emptied her mug, sighed in content, and then stood up, actually taking her dishes to the sink. “You decided you weren’t gonna give up on him, right?”

“Well, yeah…” Aeris picked at her omelet some more. “But what if what he needs is space right now, and getting him a meaningful gift just makes him uncomfortable?”

“Why does it have to be meaningful?”

“Because it does,” Aeris said firmly. “But what if he didn’t get me a gift? Won’t that make him feel super-awkward?”

Reyna turned around, quirking a brow at Aeris. “Are you doing this to get a gift from him?”

“No—”

“Then what’s the problem?” She asked, cutting off the rest of Aeris’ sentence as she gave a careless shrug. “You’re really overthinking this, hun—if you wanna get him a gift, then get him a gift! Then, take him aside and give it to him in private. That way, if he becomes uncomfortable, you can just apologize and return it. And if he didn’t get you a gift, that’s fine too, since only you two will know.”

“….” Aeris pondered this advice, finally cutting off a piece of her omelet and taking a bite. It was pretty good. “That’s not a bad plan,” she admitted at last. Reyna smirked, heading for the door.

“Of course not. I came up with it.” Aeris rolled her eyes as Reyna zipped herself into her jacket. “All right, I gotta go. One of us has to make a living during the night.” She winked at Aeris, opening the door to a blast of winter wind and snow.  “おやすみなさい, ココロちゃん.”

“お疲れ様です, レーナ様,” Kokoro bade, and the door began to shut behind Reyna of its own accord. After a moment, however, she pressed a palm to it, halting its progress.

“Aeris.”

“Hmm?” Aeris hummed, looking up at Reyna. She was frowning as she looked at Aeris, inspecting her like she was the prime suspect in a criminal case. Aeris raised an eyebrow at her. “Aren’t you going to be late?” She prompted.

This made Reyna grin. “Yeah. Quick question, though: do you crack your knuckles?”

Aeris stared at Reyna. What an odd question.

“…Yes?” She replied after an uncertain moment. “It’s a bad habit I picked up when I had nothing but idle time while undergoing treatment. I thought I only did it every once in a while, now, but I haven’t exactly been paying attention…has it been bugging you?”

A slow grin spread across Reyna’s face. “Not at all. G’night.”

And, on that bewildering note, she departed. Aeris stared at the door for a moment, and then shook her head. Her roommate was so weird.

“How do you put up with her, Kokoro?” She asked the house, taking a bigger bite of her omelet now that Reyna wasn’t here to judge her for it. A tinkling laugh sounded throughout the house.

“Reyna- _sama_ is…eccentric. But she is a kind person. Mostly.”

Aeris snorted, now intent on finishing her meal. She supposed what Kokoro said was accurate, since she would know Reyna better than anyone…but maybe part of the magic in this house forbade Kokoro from ever speaking ill of her mistress. If the latter was the case, Aeris wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest.

 

* * *

 

“HA HA! GIVE UP, HUMAN! YOU AND YOUR FRIEND ARE NO MATCH FOR ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I WILL DEFEAT YOU WITH MY OWN TWO—OOF!!”

Aeris raised an eyebrow, pausing in her walk. She was heading to the skeleton brothers' house today, intending to talk to Papyrus about whether or not Sans had actually gotten her a Christmas gift before she thought too much about what she should get him, and though said house wasn’t in sight yet, she could already hear Papyrus, his monologue interrupted by something. She resumed her walk as his voice rent through the air once again.

“WISE GUY, EH? ALL RIGHT, THEN—TAKE _THIS!!_ ”

There was the sound of rapid thuds, and laughter filled the air. Aeris recognized Frisk’s voice and smiled, speeding her walk. Whatever they were up to, it sounded fun.

“HA HA! THE GREAT PAPYRUS, VICTORIOUS ONCE MORE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH—Ah, Princess!!” Papyrus called once he caught sight of Aeris. He was standing, indeed victorious, in the front yard of his house, behind a large pile of snow that had clearly been made to form a fort. She grinned at him as her eyes took in the rest of the scene, noting the opposing fort and the mop of brown hair behind it.

“Hi, Papyrus. Hey, Frisk!” She called to the mop, and Frisk’s head popped into view, grinning widely.

“Hey, Aeris,” they greeted, slouching over the top of the fort. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going.” She grinned wider. “Having a snowball fight?”

“It’s not much of a fight when there is no resistance!” Papyrus declared, posing heroically. “For I, the GREAT Papyrus, am the KING of snowball fights!”

As Papyrus went on, Aeris watched as telltale spikes appeared over the top of Frisk’s fort. With a sneaky grin, Kid launched a snowball across the distance with his tail. He had surprisingly good aim—the snowball hit Papyrus in the side of his skull, effectively cutting off his bragging rights.

“HEY!!” He shouted, stomping his foot in rage, “IT’S CHEATING TO THROW SNOWBALLS WHEN WE’RE IN A TIME-OUT!!”

“You never called a time-out!” Kid pointed out, sticking his tongue out at Papyrus.

“Oh.” Papyrus looked sheepish for a moment, but rallied almost at once. “Well, it doesn’t matter! I am still KING of the snowball fights! And I will prove it—as soon as Princess joins me!”

Aeris blinked, startled at the sudden invitation. “Wh—me??”

“Of course! Unless you know another princess!”

Aeris tugged on a strand of her hair. “Oh…but I’m not any good at this, Papyrus. I would only slow you down—”

“Impossible! For I am the KING of snowball fights! Nyeh heh heh heh!” Papyrus struck another heroic pose, one of his gloved hands reaching out for Aeris. “Now, come! Join me, Princess!”

“Nooo, join _us_ , Aeris!” Frisk argued, grinning at her. “We have hot chocolate!”

“Really?”

In response, Kid lifted a thermos and shook it around with his tail. Promising-sounding liquid sloshed around inside. Aeris grinned and shrugged.

“Well, can’t argue with that,” she decided, heading over to Frisk and Kid’s fort. Papyrus’ eye sockets bugged out of his skull.

“What?! TREASON!” He shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Aeris. “VERY WELL! I, the GREAT Papyrus, will defeat the three of you all by myself! Prepare yourselves!!”

“ _Okay,_ ” Frisk began to sign once Aeris had ducked down behind their fort, “ _on three, we scatter and take this to the woods. Sound good?_ ”

Aeris and Kid nodded. Frisk grinned, raising three fingers. They put down one as Papyrus continued to rant, then another…

“I hope you’re ready, because once I fling this big snowball, your fort will be demolished! Now if I…could just…lift it…!”

“Three!” Frisk shouted. The three of them shot off in different directions, Aeris throwing a glance over her shoulder just in time to see Papyrus gaping at all of them, his arms threatening to give way under the large snowball he had hoisted over his head.

“HEY!! GET BACK HERE!!!” He roared, and Aeris laughed, the wind snatching the sound from her as she ran. It felt so good to be able to finally do this, to run without restraint, her lungs filling with air easily, no threat of coughing up blood present. It was a wonderful feeling, and Aeris found herself wistfully thinking of her youth, of all the homeschooling she had to endure instead of going to high school like a normal teenager. If she hadn’t been sick, maybe she would’ve joined the track team—her legs were built for stuff like this, after all. Maybe she would’ve won medals, trophies, even. Maybe she would’ve had other friends who ran, who understood how good it felt to have something as simple as leg muscles propelling them across the earth, nothing but their own power making them race forward, the wind streaking through their hair, which was beginning to grow past her shoulders again, goodness, it grew like a weed—

Aeris’ thought process was interrupted by the hand that suddenly grabbed her, pulling her behind the shade of a great oak. She yelped in surprise, only to have Frisk shush her, grinning a sneaky grin.

“ _Ambush,_ ” they signed, gesturing with a thumb over to Kid, who was a few trees away, forming snowballs with his tail as fast as he could. Getting the message, Aeris grinned and began to make snowballs too, adding to Frisk’s already substantial pile. They could hear Papyrus in the distance, shouting as he looked for them, getting steadily closer. Aeris pressed a cold hand to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

“ _This is fun,_ ” she signed to Frisk. “ _It’s great to be able to do this kind of stuff, now._ ”

Frisk smiled at this. “ _I’m glad you’re okay, Aeris._ ”

She beamed back. “ _Me, too._ ”

Once the pile was deemed large enough, she and Frisk sat back against the tree, listening to Papyrus slowly approach—he kept getting side-tracked, throwing snowballs at things that just turned out to be the wind, or trees, or his own shadow. Aeris smiled, closing her eyes as she listened to him.

“ _It’s nice to know Papyrus hasn’t changed much,_ ” she signed to Frisk, opening an eye to peek at them. Frisk smiled a little at that.

“ _Well, he changed some…_ ” The thought seemed to sober Frisk. Their signing became slower, as if they were hesitating to divulge some information. “ _He was worried about Sans for a long time._ ”

Aeris felt the smile slide from her face. Of course. Papyrus was probably the one that had to deal with Sans’ misery most of the time, wasn’t he? And she had never even apologized or thanked him for it…

She sighed. “ _Tell me about Sans,_ ” she requested after a moment.

Frisk looked over at her. It was still baffling to Aeris that the kid no longer had to look up at her—they had grown up much too fast. She stared back at them, her face stubbornly set. Quiet settled between them for a moment. Slowly, Frisk nodded, and began to sign.

“ _Sans had a rough time for the first year. He didn’t sleep much, didn’t go out much…didn’t do much of anything for a while. We all did what we could, but Papyrus was the one that had to bear the burden most of the time. Despite what we tried to do, Sans didn’t want to let anyone else in. We were all worried that it would begin to wear on Papyrus, but he was always smiling, always optimistic._ ” A corner of Frisk’s mouth quirked up. “ _He said you left him strict instructions to take care of Sans in the letter you wrote him before you left._ ”

Aeris smiled a little at this as well. “ _I did. I felt they were unnecessary—Papyrus didn’t need me to tell him to take care of his own brother, after all. …But I still wanted to be sure._ ”

Frisk chuckled. “ _Well, he took your letter to heart. Anyway, by the second year, we all thought Sans was starting to get better. He wasn’t as shut in, and he smiled a little more…but it looked like it was hard for him. He’d sometimes just walk out when we were all hanging out, and we realized it was because…well, because one of us had mentioned you._ ” They glanced over at Aeris, looking apologetic. “ _We all learned not to mention your name after that. Sorry._ ”

Aeris shook her head, unable to speak. She…she had no idea how bad it had been for Sans, never got an in-depth explanation about his suffering. It was hard to hear, but she also knew that she couldn’t shy away from it. She had caused this, after all.

“ _And…after his accident…?_ ” She prompted. Frisk nodded, their face solemn.

“ _It was…bizarre. After months and months of him being so lost…he was abruptly back to normal. We all kept watching him, waiting for something to return, for something to trigger his memory of you, and for the depression to return. But it didn’t. He just kept joking around, being Sans…and…so we all agreed that, maybe…it was better this way. For him to forget you._ ”

Aeris felt a tear roll down her cheek. She brushed it away impatiently; she had no business crying right now. Frisk regarded her thoughtfully.

“ _But you know what? I don’t think he forgot you. Not completely, anyway._ ”

Aeris smiled weakly at this. “ _First Dante, now you. I don’t need you to say this to make me feel better, Frisk._ ”

“ _I’m not saying it, I’m signing it,_ ” Frisk joked, and Aeris’ smile widened by a thin margin. “ _And I’m serious. Even after he went back to ‘normal’, certain things seemed to make him stop and think for a while. That CD you made for Alphys and Undyne? Sans loves it. They gave him a copy of it a week ago, and Papyrus told me he falls asleep listening to it. And that old Disney cartoon, Snow White? Sans has a copy of it in his house. He keeps saying the animation is crap, but Papyrus told me that he watches it a lot when he thinks no one else is home. And before you came back, whenever we went out to the human town nearby, he’d always stare at tall, dark-haired women. He didn’t seem aware of what he was doing, always looking confused when one of us brought it up. But Papyrus and me, we talked about it a lot…_ ”

Frisk smiled, the expression a tad wistful.

“… _We think, on some level, he was looking for you,_ ” They finished, dropping their hands into their lap. Aeris tore her gaze from them, hating the moisture that was gathering in her eyes once again. She was torn between self-loathing so strong that a chant was starting to form in her head—‘ _you’re scum, you’re scum, you’re scum_ ’—and a hope so fierce that it threatened to overwhelm her, making her heart feel weak once more. If what Frisk was saying was true—god, did she want it to be true—didn’t that mean, if she hadn’t come back, she would’ve damned Sans to missing her forever, even if it was only on some subconscious level? True, if she had died, she would have done that anyway, but she was alive, and she had the power to do something about it. And what was she doing? Teetering between the rock and the hard place, torn between wanting to be with him and wanting to give him time to heal. Was this wrong? Pursuing him after making him suffer for so long?

Was it wrong of her to still want him, after everything she had done to him?

“Uh…guyth?”

Frisk and Aeris looked over, and then jumped. Kid was beside them, his face squished together by the gloved hands that held him off the ground. Papyrus towered over them, his skeleton grin wide and triumphant.

Oops. Looked like she and Frisk had chosen the wrong moment for this conversation…

“Nyeh. Heh. Hehhh,” he said ominously, shifting Kid into a head lock as he whipped out a snowball from nowhere. “Now, you will learn what happens when you try to defy the KING of snowball fights!!”

“Aeris, run!” Frisk insisted, shoving her to her feet. “Save yourself!”

“But—”

“GO!” Frisk ordered once again, dodging the snowball Papyrus lobbed at them. Aeris turned and fled, dodging through trees as best she could, her heart pounding with anticipation. Soon enough, she heard crashing behind her. Papyrus must’ve defeated Frisk, and now he was coming for her.

“YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER, PRINCESS!!!” Papyrus called from behind her, and Aeris heard his footsteps getting closer. “YOU MUST FACE YOUR CRIME OF TREASON EVENTUALLY! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEEEH!!!”

“You’ll never take me alive!” She called back, daring to stick her tongue out at him. Papyrus’ grin dropped, his eye sockets widening in surprise.

“Princess!!” He called, and Aeris was surprised as he abruptly drew himself to a stop. “Look out—!!”

Too late. Even as Aeris turned around and spotted the problem—the sudden end of the hill—one of her feet was already in mid-air, supported by nothing. She could only scream in surprise as she tumbled forward, and then had to shut her mouth to keep a mountain of snow from entering it. She rolled painfully through the snow, bouncing and bumping along the hard ground. The world was a blur of white, and she squeezed her eyes shut, praying for it to be over. Relief took her for a brief moment as the ground leveled out, and she began to slow down…but then the sound of rushing water had her heart leaping into her throat once again.

“No!” She yelped, but it was too late—before she could do anything to stop it, Aeris rolled right into the river, submerged completely in the icy water. It felt like white-hot knives were slashing at her skin—the frigid water burned her bare skin, soaking through her clothes and weighing her down. Her lungs froze as she thrashed in the water, but she didn’t know which way was out, and it was so cold, so very cold…

Just as she began to believe that this was how she was going to die, an outside force seized her, dragging her up. She gasped for air as her head broke the surface, and Aeris spent a good minute hacking up river water as something hauled her out of the river.

“Princess!” It was Papyrus. Aeris could feel his hands on her back as she heaved, and a hysterical note entered his voice. “Princess, are you all right?!”

No. She was _freezing._

“C-c-c-cold,” she stuttered with difficulty once her airway was clear, because her teeth were chattering so hard they threatened to slice her tongue in half. And her whole body was so sore from the tumble she took, Aeris was certain she would wake up one big bruise tomorrow. And then there would be questions, because her fair skin would do nothing to hide the bruises, and Reyna would demand to know whose kneecaps she had to break for Aeris being hurt—

Aeris wasn’t sure if the headache she could feel coming on was because she hit her head, or from thinking about the resulting mess this mishap was going to cause. Dimly, she could feel herself being lifted up, her arms slung over bony shoulders.

“Fear not, Princess! You will be warm again in a minute, I promise! You can use our shower! Just, please, don’t die of hypothermia! Stay determined, okay?!”

His words barely registered. As Aeris shivered violently, all she could think about was how cold she was, and how she hated rivers. If she didn’t get sick from this, it would be a miracle.

It seemed to take forever for them to get to Sans’ and Papyrus’ house. Heat rushed over her once they were inside, but it wasn’t enough. As if to protest, her body shuddered worse than ever.

“Here, Princess! We’re in the bathroom!” Papyrus announced, and Aeris felt herself being lowered to the floor. She collapsed on herself immediately, arms folded tightly around her, searching for a warmth she didn’t carry. She was so freaking _cold._

“Princess? Princess, look at me.” Aeris felt her head being lifted. She opened her eyes with some difficulty, because her wet eyelashes clung together, as if they had been iced over. Papyrus’ worried gaze was focused on her, and he was blushing for a reason Aeris couldn’t comprehend. “You, er…you’ll have to take your clothes off, Princess. I can wash them while you’re in the shower, so they don’t smell like the river…but you’ll have to take them off, first. Can you…do that yourself? Or, do you, er…need help…?”

Somehow, Aeris found the strength to be embarrassed.

“I c-c-c-can d-d-do it m-myself,” she chattered, and wondered if her teeth would crack at this rate. Papyrus looked relieved.

“Great! Uh, then, just, er…leave them here on the floor and get in the shower. The curtain will hide you, and I’ll wait until you say it’s okay before I come in to get them. I’ll even cover my eye sockets to make extra-sure I don’t see anything!”

Aeris thought about Papyrus stumbling in, hands over his eye sockets as he attempted to gather up her wet clothes, grabbing the shower curtain instead and making the situation worse. The thought made her giggle nervously, the sound shaky and slightly frantic.

“T-th-that’s okay, P-P-Papyrus. J-j-just w-wait until I s-s-s-say ok-k-kay. Ok-k-kay?”

Papyrus nodded fervently. “Okay! Just hang on a second!”

He stepped over her, and Aeris heard the sound of pipes groaning before the shower started. Bustling past her, Papyrus quickly shut the door, leaving her alone.

It took a long time for Aeris to convince herself to get up. The steam that began to fill the room helped, thawing her just a little, and she sent a silent thank you to Papyrus once she found the strength to stand up. Getting undressed was even harder—her fingers were clumsy with cold, and it took thrice as long as it normally would for Aeris to unravel all of her layers, letting them plop onto the floor with wet splashes and feeling marginally guilty that she was soaking the floor. She’d have to clean it up later—it wouldn’t be fair to make Papyrus do it.

Shivering more brutally than ever now that she was naked, Aeris quickly stepped into the shower. The water was too hot—it burned her skin, and she gave a pained yelp, scrambling for the cold water to balance out the temperature. Even as the water cooled to a bearable temperature, it was still too much, since Aeris’ limbs were numb. Still, she made herself stand in the spray, sighing a little as her body slowly began to thaw out. The water felt so good that she forgot all about Papyrus until he gave a hesitant knock.

“Er, Princess? Is it…safe to come in now?”

“Oh! Yeah, come in, Papyrus!” She called back, twitching the curtain into place just to make sure he couldn’t see anything. The bathroom door opened with a hesitant creak, and there was a squelching sound—presumably Papyrus gathering up her wet clothes. Aeris tried not to think too much on the fact that Papyrus would have to wash her underwear as well, grateful that she had ignored Reyna’s advice on anything lacy. If Papyrus had to learn that she wore stuff like that, she would absolutely die of embarrassment.

“All right! I’ll, uh, wash these for you, Princess! Fear not—when I’m through, they’ll be good as new! You just work on getting warm again!”

“Thanks, Papyrus,” Aeris called, grateful for the tall skeleton brother. She stood in the shower long after he had left with her clothes, gradually upping the temperature as her skin slowly adjusted. Her back was sore as hell, and she kept it to the spray as much as she could, letting the combination of the warm water and pressure of the shower head work on it. It didn’t do much, but it helped a little.

There were at least a dozen MTT-brand bathing products in the bathroom. Aeris laughed to herself, wondering if Papyrus kept them as gifts from Mettaton. She read the labels carefully before she touched anything, wanting to make sure what was labeled as body wash was actually body wash, and what was shampoo was shampoo. As she washed the river smell from her skin and hair, she sent a silent apology Papyrus’ way, vowing to replace the products she had used if he was just keeping them in here for show.

All too soon, the hot water began to run out. Aeris groaned, but she couldn’t stand the chill of the spray, and so she shut the shower off, grateful for the steam that lingered in the bathroom. She carefully reached out, grabbing a towel from the rack, and patted herself dry in the tub, reluctant to add more water to the bathroom floor than was necessary.

When she finally stepped out of the tub, wrapped securely in the towel, Aeris made herself think about the problem she’d realized halfway through washing her hair—she had no clothes to wear. Part of her had been hoping her clothes would be washed and dry by the time she finished her shower, but since Papyrus hadn’t come a’knocking, she was assuming that they were probably still drying. Which meant she was stranded in the bathroom. With nothing but a towel. Fantastic.

Trying very hard not to think of what would happen if Sans came home and found her like this, Aeris tip-toed to the door, stepping delicately over the puddle of cold water in the middle of the floor. She pressed her ear to the door, wondering if she could hear Papyrus rattling around outside. Nothing.

Sighing, Aeris opened the door just a crack, not daring to open it wider than that when she was in nothing but a towel. “Uh…Papyrus? Are my clothes dry yet?”

There was no response. Aeris cleared her throat and lifted her voice.

“Papyrus? I just realized…I have nothing else to wear. Um, do you think it’d be all right for me to borrow a pair of your pajamas or something?” At the silence, Aeris began to panic. Why wasn’t the tall skeleton answering? “Papyrus? Are you here?”

Abruptly, there was the sound of shifting cloth. A sleeve poked through the crack in the door, and Aeris gratefully seized it.

“Oh, thank you, Papyrus. I appreciate it.”

Aeris quickly pulled the article of clothing into the bathroom with her, shutting the door immediately after to keep Papyrus from seeing anything he didn’t need to, and to keep the steam from getting out. She lifted the piece of clothing to get a better look at it—and froze.

This was not a pair of Papyrus’ pajamas. This wasn’t anything of Papyrus’.

It was Sans’ jacket.

Oh god.

Aeris closed her eyes and counted to ten. Maybe…maybe Papyrus had found the jacket on Sans’ bed. Or on the couch. Maybe he panicked, because she was asking so insistently for clothes, and just grabbed the closest thing to him? Yeah, that had to be it. It had to be…it _had_ to be. There was no way fate was _this_ cruel…

“…Papyrus?” Aeris called again, opening the door a little wider this time. “Papyrus, this is—”

Sans was reclining against the wall next to the door. Aeris froze at the sight of him, her mouth open in horror.

Oh _god_ _damn it._

The short skeleton glanced over at her lazily. A slow grin spread across his face.

“Hey,” he greeted, as if it were perfectly normal to find Aeris nearly naked in his bathroom, asking for clothes. “Seems Pap went out for a second. He was shouting somethin’ about no dryer sheets as he left…”

Aeris closed her eyes. So not only was Papyrus out of the house, but her clothes apparently weren’t dry. Fantastic. The day had just reached an all-time low.

Swallowing, she made herself focus on Sans. He was grinning at her in a way that told her quite plainly that he found her humiliation amusing. She scowled at him.

“I can’t wear this,” she insisted, trying to hold the jacket out for him to take while still keeping the door between him and her like a barrier. His grin widened.

“You said you needed clothes. There ya go.”

“It’s a jacket,” she pointed out, feeling heat flood her face. She could _not_ believe she was having this conversation right now. “It won’t…cover everything.”

“Yeah?” Aeris didn’t miss his gaze roaming over what he could see of her. Her blush deepened. “You know that for a fact, Princess? Didja try it on?”

Now he was just being unreasonable. Aeris scowled at him.

“No, but—”

“Then how do ya know it won’t cover everything?”

She huffed, feeling her headache returning. “Can you just get me something of Papyrus’? His clothes will probably fit me—”

“No can do, Princess,” Sans replied, that shit-eating grin of his in place. “Can’t touch Pap’s stuff without askin’. He gets… _touchy_ about it.”

Aeris pressed her lips together. She would not laugh. This situation was not funny.

“I think he’d make an exception in this situation,” she said through her teeth. Sans only seemed to grow more amused at her irritation.

“You might be willin’ to risk it, but I’m not. Sorry, but the hoodie’s all I’ve got to offer. You don’t have to wear it if ya don’t want to…” Sans trailed off, and Aeris blushed under his gaze. “…but that’d just leave ya in a towel until Papyrus comes back. Your call.”

She hated him. She hated him so much right now.

Aeris slammed the door shut, but it wasn’t enough to keep Sans’ snickering from reaching her ears. Stupid, sly, unreasonable, perverted skeleton.

Aeris was nearly dead set on remaining stubbornly in the bathroom until Papyrus returned. There was only two problems with that plan: one, she didn’t know when he’d be back, which meant she could be spending a _very long time_ in this bathroom with nothing to do but sulk, and two, it was getting kind of cold, since the towel around her was wet and a lot of the steam had escaped during her conversation with Sans. Sighing loudly, Aeris eyed the blue jacket in her grasp. Was this thing even clean? She doubted it. Sans wore this thing all the time, and she very much doubted that he bothered to do his own laundry. Scowling, Aeris took a careful whiff of the jacket. Smelled like ketchup.

“Great, so I’ll smell like a burger,” she grumbled, and sighed once again. She really didn’t have much of a choice, did she, since Sans was being so damn unreasonable…

Doing her best to ignore her embarrassment, Aeris slipped out of the towel, letting it fall to the floor. Before she could talk herself out of it, she quickly zipped herself into Sans’ jacket, wincing as the cold metal touched her bare skin. She stared at her blurred image in the steamed mirror. Surprisingly enough, the jacket _did_ fit, in a way—it covered everything essential, the bottom cutting off at her mid-thigh. It was too baggy on her, though, and one of her shoulders was constantly exposed, no matter which way she pulled the jacket. But it was very, very warm, despite being constantly worn by a skeleton. Aeris snuggled into the fabric, humming in satisfaction. The ketchup smell wasn’t too bad, now that she was used to it.

Aeris hung the wet towel back up before she moved back to the door, her hand on the knob. Her heart was pounding a little harder than necessary, something she didn’t appreciate. She forced herself to breathe and calm down. She could do this. She had been avoiding it lately, but she could spend a little time in Sans’ company until Papyrus came back. Then she’d give Sans back his jacket, get dressed as fast as she could, and get the hell out of there before any further incidents occurred. Yeah, she could do this. She could do this…

Taking another deep breath, her face set with determination, Aeris pulled the door open and stepped out into the living room. Her eyes went immediately to the short skeleton sitting on the couch, apparently absorbed in the TV. He turned at the sound of Aeris closing the bathroom door behind her. Aeris blushed, but stared stubbornly back at him after his gaze had slowly roamed over her. He grinned.

“Nice.”

“Shut up,” she returned, folding her arms and trying very hard not to look as self-conscious as she felt. “When is Papyrus coming back?”

Sans shrugged, returning his attention to the TV. “Dunno. Your clothes could be dry before he even gets back.” Sans glanced over at her again, his grin widening as she jerked a thumb behind him. “Looks like he didn’t wanna…leave you _hangin’._ ”

Aeris’ mouth came open with a pop when she saw what Sans meant. Dear, sweet, innocent Papyrus had hung her clothes up to dry on top of their banister. It wouldn’t have been so terrible…if her unmentionables weren’t also in plain sight, on their own separate hanger, unnecessarily displayed in the middle of her other clothes, like they were a proud prize to be won. Aeris closed her eyes and willed the nightmare to be over, resisting the urge to pinch herself. Sans’ chuckling increased her mortification ten-fold.

“White, huh? Guess you like to live up to your nickname, huh, Snow?”

Aeris was suddenly very sorry that she hadn’t bought anything lacy like Reyna suggested.

“This is sexual harassment,” she grumbled in protest, pressing her hands to her face and glaring at Sans half-heartedly, when all she really wanted to do was bury her head in the sand somewhere. At her embarrassment, Sans’ grin seemed to lessen.

“Sorry,” he apologized, and Aeris was surprised to hear that he meant it. He returned his gaze to the TV, and said nothing else. Aeris eyed the back of his skull warily. What was with him?

She stood there a moment, debating racing up the stairs and snatching her underwear from its hanger. But then she thought about how high Sans’ jacket might ride up if she actually dared to climb the stairs, and the idea was immediately vetoed. Still, she paced to the stairs, her arms folded as she argued with herself about the underwear. Her gaze shifted to the side as she bit her lip…and then she froze in surprise.

She hadn’t noticed it earlier, because she had been too numb with cold, and then too embarrassed with Sans, but sitting to the side of their living room was a grand piano, black, sleek and shiny—it was clearly new. Aeris felt herself magnetize; in a haze, she was drawn toward the instrument, her fingertips brushing across the key cover.

“…When did you get this…?” She asked, completely awestruck. She heard the TV mute behind her.

“Um, about a month ago,” Sans said. Aeris glanced over her shoulder in time to catch him frowning. “It was an impulse buy. I saw it on sale in town, and…for some reason…I had to have it. Which is weird, because neither me nor Pap play, and Undyne doesn’t come over enough to justify it. I prefer the trombone anyway—much more my speed.”

So he had bought it before she returned. Aeris felt her heart stutter, and another blush rose to her cheeks as she considered Frisk’s revelations from earlier. Was this another piece of her Sans had been looking for, and he just didn’t know it…?

She sat down, moving the sleek black cover back from the keys. She saw Sans shift to look at her from her peripheral vision.

“Hey now,” she said in a playfully reproving tone, “that’s not a toy you can just—”

His voice trailed off at the beginning chords Aeris played. She paused, glancing over at him. The slight stunned look that crossed his face made her smile.

“I know what I’m doing,” she assured him. But she waited, watching him, wondering if he would protest further.

He didn’t. He just scooted closer to the arm of the couch, giving a small nod to the question in her eyes. She smiled again, returned her attention to the keys, and breathed.

And then she began to play.

It had been such a long time since she was able to play a real piano. Napstablook’s synthesizer was fun, definitely, but it just wasn’t the same. She let the melody take her, her emotions flooding into the song as she played, the sound still pleasing to her, even after all this time. She thought of Sans’ smile as she played—his genuine one, the one she had been lucky enough to glimpse a couple times on his face three years ago, the one she missed now, more than anything. She missed the way he laughed, the sound reverberating through him when he was genuinely amused, the way he blushed when he trusted her with something private, a secret shared just between them. And the way he looked at her when he told her he loved her…

The song was over too soon, the final note sorrowful. Aeris made herself breathe again, feeling the tears beginning to build. It was still hard to believe that she had managed to make herself give all of that up, thinking it would be for the best if he just didn’t know she was fighting to return to him. How stupid.

“…Oh.”

Aeris opened her eyes. Sans was staring at her, awe plain on his face. She was a little surprised to find how deep he was blushing—what did he have to be embarrassed about?

“‘Oh’ what?”

“…Um,” Sans began, and Aeris raised an eyebrow at him. He gave her a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his skull. “So, that CD that Alphys and Undyne have…”

Aeris nodded, smiling. “I made it.”

“Huh.” He glanced away from her, sitting properly on the couch. His gaze was focused on his lap, and Aeris watched as he blushed even bluer than before. “…I really like that song,” he mumbled. Aeris smirked at how embarrassed he was. Still so cute.

“You should. It was written for you,” she casually revealed, sliding the cover back over the piano keys. She did this carefully to avoid looking at Sans, even though she saw his skull turn back to stare at her.

“…It was?”

“Mm-hm,” Aeris confirmed nonchalantly, making a show of wiping imaginary dust from the key cover. “It was the first song I wrote when I was here. It’s called ‘Punny Bonehead’.”

“Heh,” Sans laughed, the sound nervous. Aeris glanced over at him, watching him fidget; he appeared to be struggling with something. “Did…did, uh…”

“Hmm?” Aeris prompted, her elbow leaning on the piano as she propped her head up in the palm of her hand, gazing at him. She watched as Sans made himself breathe, turning to focus on her.

“…Was that how you did it? How you…told me you loved me…the first time…?”

Aeris felt blood pool in her face. She didn’t expect this turn in conversation—it required a level of honesty she had been avoiding with Sans, due to her embarrassment. She stubbornly pushed past it now, however, keeping her gaze focused on Sans. After all, if he genuinely wanted to know the answers to these questions, who was she to deny him?

“No. But now that you mention it, I wish I had.” She mock pouted, and Sans grinned in an apologetic way. “Actually, you were the first to say you loved me.”

Aeris watched as Sans blushed deeper. But he didn’t look away from her. That was a good sign. He regarded her quietly for a moment, and for once, Aeris had to wonder what he was thinking about. The seconds ticked by.

“…How?” Sans eventually asked. Aeris didn’t need to ask what he meant. She glanced away from him, tugging on a wet strand of hair.

“Are you sure you want to know?” She wanted to check, glancing at him and away again. “You said—”

“I know,” Sans replied, cutting her off. She glanced back at him as he shifted uneasily. “I know what I told you. But I…” She watched him swallow, glancing up at her almost shyly. “Since you came back…nothing makes much sense. I’m feeling things that I…that I don’t understand. I have all these emotions, and they’re stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before. And I have absolutely no idea why that is.”

He looked up, pinning her with his gaze.

“If you have the answers, Aeris…I want them. Please.”

Aeris stared at him, taking in his expression. He was completely serious. The desire to know their history was clear in his gaze, and he stared at her with a longing that made her blush harder than ever. It appeared that Sans had had enough of the space she had been giving him.

Fine with Aeris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FFFFF
> 
> *Flips table* I COULDN'T FUCKING DO IT THIS CHAPTER ENDED UP BEING WAAAAY LONGER THAN IT WAS SUPPOSED TO AND IF I HAD ADDED EVERYTHING I WANTED TO ADD IT WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE FORTY FUCKING PAGES LONG AND NO ONE WANTS THAT LONG OF A FUCKING CHAPTER AND THE TONE WOULD'VE BEEN ALL OVER THE PLACE AND IT JUST WOULD'VE BEEN NOT GOOD.
> 
> So I had to cut it in half. *Forced deep breath*
> 
> So, yeah, more of Aeris and Sans talking in the next chapter. Hopefully this shit gets resolved soon so I can just dissolve into a mess of sin because I AM SO FUCKING READY.
> 
> But I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway. ^^;
> 
> ~Reyna


	8. Whaddya Want From Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...
> 
> This chapter did its best to fucking wreck me with all the feels.
> 
> It almost succeeded.
> 
> I feel too strongly for the struggle these characters go through, man. I mean, I may be the one PUTTING them through these struggles, but it hurts me too because I'm not-so-secretly a big softie.
> 
> *Grabs the characters* DO YOU UNDERSTAND I HURT YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU I AM SORRY
> 
> ~Reyna
> 
> P.S. Mildly NSFW. Nothing TOO BAD happens...yet...but I would advise being alone while you read. ;)

The TV glowed before them, completely forgotten. Aeris stared over it, watching the blinking reflections from the Christmas tree lights dance across the wall, trying to gather her thoughts. She had moved to the other side of the couch, and kept fidgeting, paranoid that the jacket was going to creep too far up her legs if she didn’t keep pulling it down. And the stupid thing kept sliding off one of her shoulders no matter what she did. She gave a small huff, giving up. She had more important things to worry about at the moment, anyway. It had been a few minutes since they decided to start this conversation, but honestly, Aeris didn’t know where to begin.

How exactly did one go about reminding their amnesiac ex-boyfriend of all the memories they shared together that made them fall in love with each other in the first place?

Aeris sighed, glancing over at Sans. She had had his undivided attention for five minutes now, his whole body turned towards her, gaze focused. He said nothing, patiently waiting for her to start. She wished he wouldn’t stare.

“Um…” Ugh, what a great way to start. And did her voice seriously have to crack like a prepubescent boy’s voice? She coughed a little, clearing her throat. It still tasted a little like river water. Unpleasant.

“Aeris?”

Abruptly, Sans’ hand was clutching hers, squeezing it tight. She jumped at the sudden contact, startled to find him staring at her in alarm, his grin missing, his eye sockets wide and frightened. The change in his expression was so abrupt that it shocked her into silence for a moment. What was that look for?

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her eyes wide. Sans grip on her slackened a little, and he began to frown, the bewildered look that sometimes flashed across his face appearing now.

“I…dunno,” he said slowly. He shifted his gaze away, frowning at the couch cushion. “You coughed…and suddenly…I felt…”

Aeris’ eyes widened. Oh. Damn. Had she traumatized him with something as small as coughing as well? She really was the worst.

She reached over, her fingertips brushing his cheekbone, the gesture meant to be reassuring. Sans blushed, peeking up at her.

“I’m okay,” Aeris promised him, willing him with her eyes to believe it. “I’m fine, Sans.”

Sans stared at her for a long moment. There was confusion in his gaze again, and Aeris almost asked him what he was thinking, but he beat her to the punch by answering first.

“Can I touch you?”

Aeris blinked. That was not a question she had anticipated in any sense of the word.

“…Huh?” She asked stupidly. Sans flushed under her stare.

“Your neck,” he bothered to explain, and his free hand reached up, two fingers extended. “I just…I don’t know why, but I want to…”

“Oh.” Understanding, Aeris leaned forward, closing her eyes. She felt Sans trembling a little as his fingers found her throat, probing a little until they found the right spot. For a moment, they both felt her heart beating, steady and strong. Sans let out a shaky breath, and Aeris opened her eyes to peer down at him. He looked much more relaxed, now.

“Better?”

“Yeah.” He frowned again. “I don’t get it, but yeah.” He let his hand drop, folding both of them politely in his lap. It looked like a method he was using to restrain himself to Aeris…but that was ridiculous. She was probably the one having the most trouble not touching him right now. “What were we talking about?”

“We weren’t, but we were about to. You wanted answers.”

“Right.” He went quiet, looking up at Aeris. She kept his gaze, finally figuring out where to start.

“…Were you told about the Royal Guard wedding?” She asked him, watching his expression carefully. Recognition flared in his gaze.

“Yeah. Papyrus told me about that…” He suddenly blushed. “He said you went as my date.”

“I did.” She smiled, but it soon faded. “Did he tell you what happened after? At the reception?”

Sans frowned at this. “Er…he said you were in some kind of accident…?”

Aeris closed her eyes briefly. If she had her way, she would avoid the whole issue…but Sans was asking for answers. And ‘answers’ meant the whole story…as much as she might want to leave certain details in the past.

Her eyes opened again, and she watched Sans sober in response to her serious gaze.

“…I died, Sans,” she said baldly. She watched as his spine straightened, staring at her in shock. His bones seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation; they began to rattle as he looked at her like he was looking at a ghost.

“…But you’re here,” he pointed out, clearly not comprehending. Aeris nodded.

“That’s because Dante brought me back. He was there that night. He helped revive me.”

Sans frowned at this. “Huh. Dante mentioned being there, I think, when he was re-introducing himself to me…” He tilted his skull to the side, closing one eye socket. “But he never said anything about saving your life.”

Aeris paused, wondering about that. Why wouldn’t Dante take that credit? How curious. Well, maybe she’d ask him about it later. That part didn’t really matter right now.

“Anyway, I had to be taken to the hospital. You guys waited there for nearly four hours, and once visiting hours were over, you snuck into my room.” She gave him a conspiratorial grin. “Apparently, silly human hospital policies don’t apply to you.”

Sans grinned, clearly wanting to be in on the joke. “Sounds like me.”

“Yeah. Anyway, we were just talking, and I said a few stupid jokes that made you laugh—”

“What jokes?”

Aeris grimaced. “Knife puns, mostly.”

The lights in Sans’ eye sockets began to shine. “Tell ‘em again.”

“You’re side-tracking me, Sans.”

“Aw c’mon, Princess. Ya really gonna make me _axe_ twice?”

“Sans…”

“Oh, fine. I’ll wait until after the story. Fun-sucker.”

Aeris rolled her eyes, grinning indulgently.

“So, we were talking—”

“You said some amazing knife puns that I’m eagerly waiting to hear later—”

“—and then you said you loved me,” Aeris finished. The grin slid from Sans’ face upon hearing that, and he stared at her, his skull tinting blue.

“…Just like that?”

“Just like that.” Aeris smiled faintly. “I’m pretty sure it was an accident. You had to ask me if you had actually said it out loud that time.”

Sans apparently didn’t know how to react to that. He ducked his head, and Aeris wondered if his whole skull would flush blue, and how entertaining it would be if it did. He didn’t speak for a long moment. Aeris let him be, content with the silence.

Sans broke it first, though he mumbled his next question. Aeris frowned, leaning over.

“What?”

Sans looked up. He blinked when he saw how close Aeris’ face was to his. Self-conscious, she pulled back a little, watching as Sans took a deep breath and spoke again.

“…When did you first tell me that you loved me?”

Aeris’ eyes widened, and heat exploded in her face. She hastily looked away, but not before catching the surprise that flitted across Sans’ face.

“What?” He asked, and she could hear intrigue creeping into his tone. She pressed her hands to her face, willing herself to calm down. It wasn’t helping much.

“Nothing,” she mumbled, resolutely looking away from him. This made the skeleton laugh.

“You suck at lying, Princess,” he stated, and Aeris closed her eyes, groaning inwardly. “If this were poker, you’d be cleaned out in about five seconds, you have so many tells.”

Aeris glared at him from the corner of her eye, meaning to look furious…except her lower lip jutted out in a pout. She didn’t miss the way Sans’ gaze lingered there, and she almost asked him what he was thinking to make him blush like that before she decided against it.

“You don’t want the answer to this question,” she tried to convince him, dropping a hand to her lap as the other reached up to tug on a strand of her hair. Sans grinned the way he did when he sensed weakness.

“I think I do,” he insisted. Her brow furrowing, Aeris leaned forward, holding back a wince as her back ached in protest. She held Sans’ gaze, and his grin lessened a little, blush growing deeper once again.

“It’s going to make you uncomfortable,” she warned him. She watched as he took in her serious expression, appearing to weigh his options. And then he leaned forward a little, bringing his skull inches from Aeris’ face. Her eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected gesture.

“Try me,” he challenged, his voice low, unintentionally seductive. Aeris sat up straight again, her face burning. She closed her eyes, pressing her palms to her cheeks once again.

“You’re stubborn,” she grumbled.

“Said the pot to the kettle,” Sans joked, and Aeris sighed. She gave him a look, and then turned to sit forward on the couch, self-consciously twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. If he wanted to really know the answer to this question, fine. But she wouldn’t look at him as she recounted this story. Too embarrassing.

“…It was the night before I left,” she mumbled, ignoring the fact that Sans felt the need to scoot closer to hear her. “It was after I was discharged from the hospital, and I was staying at Toriel’s. You had visited earlier that day, promised you would come back…but you didn’t. So, I came to find you. And then…”

Oh god, the room was on fire. No, wait…that was just Aeris. She closed her eyes, pressing her hands to her face once again. “…Things happened…” she finished lamely.

As her voice trailed off, she could hear Sans breathing. It was an unsteady sound.

“What kind of things?” He demanded to know. Aeris shrank down into his hoodie.

“Things like…kissing…and touching…” She admitted, mumbling through the collar of his jacket now. She didn’t dare look over at him, even though he moved close enough for her to feel him next to her. He drew in a shaky breath, and it rattled out of him slowly.

“How did you touch me?” Sans asked quietly, and Aeris felt her face explode with red.

“God, Sans,” she mumbled, mortified as she pressed her hands over her eyes. “Don’t make me say this out loud, please.” Yes, she had initiated most of the contact that night. It was true. But it didn’t mean she wanted to go into _details_ about it. She sympathized with Sans’ lost memories, truly she did, but this was bordering on “phone sex” talk, and that was way more Reyna’s speed than hers. She just couldn’t handle talking about it, even if it had happened three years ago.

As Aeris blushed behind her hands, she felt Sans shift beside her, moving away. The distance helped drain the charge in the air between them, and Aeris began to breathe a little easier.

“Sorry,” Sans said, and Aeris was astounded by the disappointment she heard in his voice. She peeked at him through a gap in her fingers, but he wasn’t looking at her; he was facing forward, leaning over, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the floor. He looked…lost. Aeris ached to touch him, to assure him that everything was okay…but, considering the moment, she convinced herself it was a bad idea. To further discourage any thoughts of touching him, Aeris put her hands in the pockets of his jacket. She jumped when her fingers encountered cool metal in his right pocket. Curious, Aeris pulled the object out, letting it rest in the palm of her hand. A small gasp escaped her—it was her locket. Considering the circumstances, she didn’t believe Sans still had it…but apparently, he’d been carrying it around in his pocket all this time. A lump formed in her throat at the sight of it.

“Ah…”

She looked up, finding Sans’ gaze on the locket as well. He appeared anxious by its presence, as if the discovery of it was about to get him in trouble.

“That’s…” he began, his gaze shifting to Aeris. Why did he look so guilty? “…I’m not sure what that is, actually. I don’t know where it came from—”

“It’s mine,” Aeris told him. She watched as Sans grew surprised, and then, somehow, relieved. She bit back a smile, wondering if he was worried that this locket would condemn him of cheating on her or something. Ridiculous.

“It is?”

“Yeah. Or, it was, until I gave it to you.” She glanced down at it, frowning. There was a tiny, yet noticeable dent in the front. “What happened to it?”

“Ah. Well, it fell off me the day I had my…accident.” Aeris looked up in time to see Sans rap his knuckles against his skull—his favorite way to refer to his lost memories. “I managed to fix the clasp, but I couldn’t take care of the dent, since the dent doesn’t let me open it. It’s a real _buffer._ ”

Aeris pursed her lips to keep from smiling. “Wanna see something cool?”

Sans gave her an odd look. “…Sure?” He said, seemingly unable to help himself. Aeris smiled and scooted forward, moving closer to him.

“Check this out.” She carefully pressed in the handle of the locket, making sure not to squash the fine chain in between the handle and the locket itself. The locket swung open automatically. Sans’ jaw actually dropped, and Aeris laughed at his expression. “It’s easy if you know the trick. I showed you before I left…but you wouldn’t remember that, I guess…”

Sans stared down at the open locket. “…That picture…”

Aeris smiled sadly. “It was taken at one of Alphys’ and Undyne’s anime parties. They gave me a copy of it, and I stuck it in here. It was meant to be a reminder…” She glanced away, the irony of the moment threatening to shatter her. “…In case you forgot.”

She felt Sans’ gaze bore holes into the side of her head, and she closed her eyes, wishing he wouldn’t ask the question she knew he was about to ask…

“In case I forgot what?”

Aeris sighed. “…That I love you,” she answered, glancing shyly at him, feeling her cheeks burning. Sans stared at her, his expression unfathomable. She stared back, trying to work out his expression…but the intensity of his gaze made her blush, and she ended up looking away. Aeris closed the locket, letting it hang by its chain, and moved to put it on.

Sans grabbed her wrist.

“What’re you doing?” He asked, beginning to frown. Aeris stared at him, nonplussed.

“I’m putting on my locket,” she said, her brow furrowing as she took in his expression. He couldn’t possibly want it, could he? It was from another time, of a memory he didn’t even recall. He couldn’t want to keep—

“You gave it to me,” Sans reminded her, interrupting her thought process. “It was a present, right? A reminder, in case I forgot.”

“Yes, but—”

“Well, I forgot,” he stated, as if Aeris needed a recap. “Don’t you think a reminder would come in handy right about now?”

Aeris stared at him. Now he was just being ridiculous. “Sans, you don’t want—”

“Don’t tell me what I do and don’t want,” he growled suddenly, and Aeris felt a chill roll down her spine at the sound. He opened his free hand, palm up. “Give it back.”

Aeris made no move to do so. She was too busy staring at him. A minute ago, he didn’t even know what the locket was meant to represent, but now he was getting all deep voice on her, making strange sensations roll through the pit of her stomach—

As if he knew exactly what he was doing to her, the tops of Sans’ eye sockets lowered, his voice dropping deeper.

“Aeris,” he whispered her name, and Aeris felt heat flood her face at the sound, “give it to me.”

‘ _Breathe, breathe, breathe!_ ’ Her mind screamed at her, in danger of overloading. She did so, carefully, and gave a nod. Sans finally released her wrist, and his hand moved forward, but Aeris ignored it, choosing instead to fasten the locket around him herself. He held perfectly still as she leaned forward, carefully locking the clasp around his neck. Once it was securely in place, she sat back a little, her fingers lingering on the locket itself. She looked up, meeting his gaze, and tried to look stern, though her spine was in danger of melting into jelly the longer she looked at him.

“Take better care of it this time around,” she urged him, smirking a little. Sans grinned a lazy grin.

“No promises,” he teased. He looked ready to say something else, but the proximity was too much for Aeris—she straightened up, the movement too fast, and her sore back muscles gave a protesting twinge. Aeris winced, and Sans’ grin fell.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah…nothing,” Aeris grumbled, turning from him and rubbing at her back, but not quite able to reach the really sore part. “I suffered through a nasty fall before I tumbled into the river, that’s all. Now my back hurts.” She sighed. “The morning started out fun, then ended up not-so-much.”

Aeris was distinctly aware of Sans moving closer to her.

“Where?” He asked, and she eyed him from her peripheral vision. His gaze skimmed her back, as if the affected area would be highlighted in red. He looked concerned. Sighing, Aeris turned a little to show him.

“About here, except higher,” she said, pointing as best as she could. “I can’t quite—ah!”

There were suddenly hands on her back, pressing down on the sore spot. She lurched forward, hissing through her teeth, and the hands froze.

“Aeris?”

“I’m okay,” she replied automatically. Sans seemed afraid to move, however, so she turned to give him a reassuring smile. “You just surprised me.” She hadn’t expected him to actually touch her, but he seemed to be getting more and more comfortable with doing so as time went on. Aeris wasn’t really sure how to feel about it.

“Sorry,” Sans apologized, his skull blushing blue. “I just wanted to…you look like it’s bothering you a lot.”

“It is,” she admitted, glancing at him a little shyly. Was she the only one very aware of the fact that there was just one layer of clothes separating Sans’ hands from the bare skin of her back? She swallowed, facing forward so she didn’t have to look him in the eye socket. “…Can you, uh…help me out…?”

There was a long pause. Aeris wondered if Sans was trying to figure out how best to express his discomfort with the situation, despite his hasty action.

But then his phalanges pressed into her sore muscle, and Aeris groaned a little under her breath.

“Like this?” He asked, and Aeris giggled a bit at the uncertainty in his voice. Skeleton, right. He never had these issues.

“Yeah, that’s good,” she encouraged, letting her head fall forward as he rubbed circles into her back, her eyes closing. A low, satisfied groan escaped her, the aching muscle already beginning to feel better under Sans’ care. He paused, and she opened one of her eyes, peering curiously over her shoulder at him. “…Sans?”

Sans was looking at her weirdly. Aeris almost turned around, intending to decipher the odd look, but he suddenly resumed the massage, and Aeris forgot everything else.

“Ah…much better…” She mumbled, mostly to herself. She was vaguely aware of Sans’ hoodie sliding off one of her shoulders again, but she ignored it, the sensation in her back taking precedence. She’d pull the sleeve back up in a minute, it wasn’t like it was hurting anyone. As Sans’s fingers pressed into her spine, it suddenly gave a loud crack. She sighed, nearly purring in content. Ooh, that felt really good. She opened her mouth to ask him to rub a little lower, because the small of her back was a bit sore as well—

Something rather sharp abruptly sank into the crook of her exposed neck. Aeris yelped, freezing in place, this sensation familiar, though it had been years since she last felt it. Her heart stuttered, and blood rushed to her face as she felt something wet and warm slide over her skin.

“Sans!” She yelped, pulling away from him to give him a wide-eyed look, one of her hands clamped over the spot where he’d bitten her. What the hell was wrong with him?!

The blue light that sometimes appeared in his left eye socket was flaring, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted, like he was some sort of deranged dog. As Aeris stared at him, however, sense seemed to return to him: his eye sockets widened, his skull flushed blue, and he stared at her in horror, as if she had been the one who had just bitten him.

“…Oh god,” he mumbled, clutching his skull in between his hands as he stared at Aeris. “Shit. Fuck, Aeris, I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I—shit. I don’t know what I—th-those sounds you were making, and then the sound of your spine cracking, holy _shit_ , I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that—”

His panic as he stammered through his apology somehow made Aeris focus a little clearer. She stared at him, at the sweat beading his forehead, at the spiraling guilt she could see in his gaze, as the way his chest rose and fell rapidly, at—

Aeris paused, staring at the bulge in Sans’ shorts. She could feel herself blushing, her eyes widening as she stared, a hand over her mouth to keep from squeaking in surprise. What was _that?_

Sans noticed her staring. He made an unintelligible noise of frustration and embarrassment, and pulled his t-shirt down to conceal his state. He bowed his skull, his bones beginning to rattle as Aeris stared down at him.

“Oh god,” he groaned again, speaking to the couch cushion now, “please, please don’t hate me. I—I’ll go upstairs if you’re uncomfortable. I’m usually in better control of myself, I just…shit. Please don’t hate me, Aeris. Please.”

The way he was begging for her not to despise him tugged at Aeris’ heart. Carefully, very carefully, her hands slid to his skull, lifting his jaw so he would look at her. Shame and guilt warred in his gaze, and he tried to tug his head out of her grasp, but she held firm.

“Sans,” she said quietly, soothingly, searching his face for answers, “what’s going on, here?”

His blush deepened, and he gave her a helpless look.

“Y-you want me to say it out loud…?” He asked, looking panicked at the thought. Aeris sighed a little, stroking his cheekbones in an attempt to soothe him. He closed his eye sockets and shuddered under her touch, and Aeris stopped, afraid she was overstimulating him.

“No, I mean, where did this come from?” She clarified, glancing down at the bulge she could still see outlined by his t-shirt, despite Sans’ best efforts. “I’ve been…distancing myself from you, lately, because I thought space was what you wanted. But you’ve been giving me so many mixed signals that I’m just lost now.” She locked gazes with the skeleton, determined to get answers once and for all. “What do you want from me, Sans?”

Sans stared at her, his breathing ragged. Aeris frowned at the uncertainty in his gaze. She dropped her hands, leaning back with a sigh.

“You don’t even know, do you?” She asked shrewdly, and Sans dropped his gaze. Blowing out a frustrated sigh, Aeris rubbed the side of her head. “Sans…I can’t do this with you. Not now, while you’re still confused. It would be wrong.”

Sans huffed, dragging a bony hand down his face.

“Aeris,” he grumbled, peering up at her, his gaze frustrated, “for the past two weeks, I’ve been having wet dreams about you. And I don’t think they’re gonna stop anytime soon.”

Aeris stared at him, frozen by the information he had just given her, yet at the same time, her whole body feeling like it had been set ablaze. That was…unexpected. She had been so sure that he wasn’t thinking of her in any way, let alone _that_ way, but now…

Sans reached forward, taking one of her hands. Aeris allowed it, watching as the skeleton stared broodingly down at the palm of her hand, the way he did so many nights ago, when he’d falsely confessed to murdering her brother, when he admitted to killing others, when Aeris had disregarded all of that because she realized she was already in too deep, when she kissed him for the first time…

Just like that night, Sans pressed the palm of her hand to his cheekbone. The gesture was so nostalgic that she felt herself choking up, just a little. He glanced up at her, looking as anxious and lost as he did that night, searching her face for answers. For salvation.

“…I don’t know why,” he told her quietly, and judging from the way his teeth gritted together, he hated that. “I have no idea why I feel this way. I can’t remember. And I may never remember on my own.”

His hand tightened around hers, his gaze becoming pleading.

“Is it wrong to still want you, even if I can’t remember why?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Aeris stared at him, wishing more than anything that she had an answer for him. Instead, she swallowed, focusing on remembering to breathe.

“…I don’t know,” she muttered. This was so terrible. Why did things have to be this difficult? Why couldn’t they just be together, without worrying whether it was right or wrong? Just when did it get so complicated…?

Sans pressed his face into Aeris’ hand. She bit her lip as his teeth grazed her skin again, sending a thrilling sensation up her arm. Three years, and she still hadn’t forgotten his touch…

“If it is wrong, I’m sorry,” he apologized, though his grip only tightened around her hand more. “But it’s how I feel. I…I want this. I _need_ it.”

Aeris shuddered as his free hand slid up her arm, the tips of his fingers sending electricity through her veins, her nerves coming alive.

“I don’t want to take advantage of you, Sans,” she admitted, and Sans paused, opening his eye sockets to gaze up at her. “If I touch you…that’s what it’ll feel like. Like I’m taking advantage of you.”

This didn’t seem to concern Sans. He lifted his head from her hand, pinning her with his stare.

“So let me just touch you, then,” he said, and Aeris felt a shiver course down her spine. An anxious look crossed Sans’ face, and he reached for her face now, fingertips sliding across her cheeks to push back her hair. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. All you have to do is tell me to stop, and I’ll stop. If you want me to leave you alone right now, just say it. Say it now.”

Her conscience told her this was a bad idea. Sure, Sans said he wanted to do this now, but what if that was just the hormones? If she gave in—and _god_ did she want to give in—what guarantee did she have that he wouldn’t feel differently after things got heated, or worse, out of control? What if he felt used, blamed her, and refused to speak to her ever again? Could she really allow this, and live with the consequences if things went badly?

Aeris closed her eyes in an attempt to focus better. She couldn’t think rationally when he was touching her, and though she thought about telling him to drop his hands for a moment, she missed this feeling too much to let the words leave her lips. She craved his touch as much as he seemed to desire hers—after all, she was only human. Even as she tried to think through the problem, she was still so aware of his hands, his fingertips grazing the skin of her neck, trembling a little, but was it nervousness or desire?

“ _Aeris,_ ” Sans hissed, "say _something._ " She opened her eyes, locking gazes with him, taking in his flushed state, the sweat that beaded his skull, and the lights in his eye sockets that burned with a need so great that it was threatening to devour them both. Immediately, Aeris felt her choice being made, and she swore under her breath.

If she was choosing wrong, then god help her, but right now, she couldn’t give a single fuck about right and wrong.

“Okay,” she agreed at last, “touch me.”

Her consent couldn’t have come fast enough, apparently. As soon as the sentence was out, Sans lunged at her, mashing her lips to his teeth. She yelped as they fell backwards on the couch, and groaned a little as her back protested, but soon, all rational thought was abandoned as Sans’ teeth found her neck again, biting into her flesh hard enough to make her moan louder than she would’ve liked.

“S-Sans,” she stuttered, clutching at the back of his t-shirt. The sound of his name on her lips made Sans twitch, and Aeris could feel one of his legs sliding in between hers, the bulge in his shorts throbbing. His breathing grew heavy in her ear, and one of his hands was at the zipper of his jacket.

“Can I get rid of this damn thing already?” He grumbled, pulling back to meet her eyes. Aeris bit her lip, a little worried about being completely naked, but she ultimately nodded. As if he sensed her hesitation, Sans only pulled the zipper down halfway, choosing instead to slip his hand inside the jacket. Aeris yelped a little as his hand cupped her breast, and it turned into a whine as he gave it a squeeze. Holy shit, how did he even know how to touch her this way? She opened her mouth to ask, but Sans was suddenly there, his tongue sliding into her mouth. She moaned again, the sound muffled, her back arching a little as Sans’ hand trailed down the length of her body. Oh, he was far too good at this, it wasn’t fair, she was regretting the decision to only let him touch her, no matter how good he was making her feel—

The door suddenly flew open, startling Aeris so much that she bit into Sans’ tongue by accident. He grunted, and they both looked up as Papyrus strode in, looking proud of himself.

“TORIEL HAD AN EXTRA BOX OF DRYER SHEETS!!!” He announced to the room at large, posing heroically. Aeris covered her face with her hands, feeling herself go completely red as she waited for the other shoe to drop…

It grew suddenly quiet in the living room. Though she couldn’t see him, she was still able to picture Papyrus standing there, gaping at the pair of them, his skull probably tinting red to match Sans’ blue.

“…oh my god,” Papyrus eventually muttered, and Aeris wanted to scream. His untimely arrival was definitely a sign—she had chosen wrong. “Er, sorry. I didn’t know I’d be…interrupting…”

“You’re not,” Aeris insisted, sitting up so fast that Sans blinked at her, startled. She pushed him off, zipping his jacket back up before she jumped off the couch, her hands pressing against her cheeks. She didn’t dare look at either of the skeleton brothers as she asked in a very small voice, “Can we dry my clothes now…?”

“Er, sure—” Papyrus began, and that was all the prompting Aeris needed; she sped past him, down the hall to the laundry room, her face on fire. There was an uncomfortable dampness between her legs, and Aeris muffled her groaning at that.

As soon as her own clothes were dry, she was shoving Sans’ jacket into the washer herself to destroy any and all evidence before Papyrus was any the wiser.

 

* * *

 

It had been silent for ten whole minutes. Aeris knew Papyrus wanted to say something, and she was astonished that he had lasted this long in not blurting it out already. She stood against the washer as Papyrus hovered over the dryer, both of them waiting for her clothes to finish, the howling of the wind outside barely heard over the dryer’s rumbling. She felt his gaze dart to her face and away so often that she felt like she was taking part of a heated tennis match with an invisible opponent.

Finally, Aeris sighed.

“Papyrus,” she said, her eyes on the floor as she blushed, “just say it already.”

“HMM?” Papyrus hummed loudly, and Aeris looked up to find him working too hard to be nonchalant. “Say what, Princess?”

She gave him a knowing look. “Whatever’s on your mind that you’ve been waiting to say since you got in here.”

Papyrus gave her a sheepish look. “Well, I didn’t wanna say anything until _you_ said something…but I’m SO EXCITED!!! You and my brother are back together!!”

Aeris huffed. She had been afraid of this. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she and Sans could just work it out between themselves, but now that Papyrus had caught them and gotten the wrong impression…

“We’re not,” she said, touching upon the words delicately, as if saying them too fast or too harshly would cause them to explode, “back together.”

Papyrus paused at this. “…You’re not? But…you were making out on the couch!”

“I know,” Aeris mumbled, and she pressed her hands to her face. “That doesn’t mean we’re back together, though.”

“What does it mean, then?”

“I don’t know,” she huffed, folding her arms defensively and looking away from Papyrus. “I was caught up in the moment and—”

“Oh no,” Papyrus gasped, and Aeris looked to find him gaping at her in an appalled fashion. “Princess! Don’t tell me you’re just using my brother!! You’re better than that, I know you are!!”

Aeris winced. Thinking the words to herself was one thing, but hearing them shouted at her was a completely different experience, one that turned for the worst.

“I’m not using him,” she assured him, and Papyrus’ expression immediately relaxed. Such a trusting friend. Aeris didn’t deserve him. “I’m just not…sure…that what you, uh, walked in on…was such a good decision.”

Now Papyrus grew worried. “Did you not want to make out with him on the couch?”

Oh god. Aeris covered her face with her hands again, in disbelief that she was _actually_ having this conversation with Papyrus.

“I wanted to,” she admitted in a small voice.

“Then did he not want to?”

“He kissed me first.”

“Then what’s the problem? Seems like you both consented!” Papyrus pointed out. “And that’s important!”

Dear, sweet, innocent, but nowhere _near_ naïve Papyrus. Aeris giggled a little before she sighed.

“I know. It’s only…”

“Only what?”

Aeris frowned, tugging on a strand of her hair. “…He doesn’t remember me,” she mumbled. The fact still stung, even weeks later. And she still didn’t understand how they had managed to get here. “How can he possibly want to be with me like this if he doesn’t remember me?”

Even if Aeris felt like she kept rehashing this problem, it was still bothering her. Now that she was away from Sans, she could think clearly, and found more and more that she was having trouble accepting the situation as it was. After all, she felt so strongly for Sans because she was in love with him…but even if Sans still felt that way towards her to some degree, was it even real if he couldn’t remember why?

 _Was_ it wrong of him to want her like this, since he couldn’t remember?

Aeris felt Papyrus watching her, but she frowned at the floor, agonizing over the problem over and over again in her head. It had definitely been a bad idea to give in to him, hadn’t it? No matter how much she wanted him, the fact remained that he didn’t— _couldn’t_ —feel the same way about her. Which meant that she _had_ taken advantage of him after all. She felt gross about that, disgusted with herself. Why had she allowed herself to be pulled into this mess?

“He _does_ remember you, Princess.”

Aeris closed her eyes briefly. It wasn’t surprising how sick she was getting of hearing that, when she knew it to be a lie.

“No he doesn’t, Papyrus. He even admits it himself. He—”

“Okay, so he doesn’t remember you with his head,” Papyrus interrupted, which was so unlike him that Aeris glanced up at him in surprise. The tall skeleton brother tapped his chest with a finger. “But he remembers you with his soul.”

Aeris stared at him. Well…this was a new side of the memory debate that she hadn’t heard yet.

“What?”

“Yeah! Think about it: if he didn’t really remember you at all, he wouldn’t have all these feelings for you either, would he?” Papyrus pointed out. Aeris frowned. She was no expert on memories, and neither was Papyrus, so how would they know whether or not Sans would remember her in some way or another?

The doubt must’ve shown on her face, for Papyrus smiled a kind smile. “Do you know the phrase, ‘I feel it in my bones’, Princess?” Aeris nodded, and Papyrus’ smile became a little strained. “I don’t like it, because Sans is always using it in some kind of terrible joke, but for us, it’s true. Something like love is a permanent thing that changes us monsters. It doesn’t matter if the love ends happily, in hatred, or in tragedy—it leaves its mark on us forever. So even if Sans might’ve forgotten you with his head…” Papyrus rapped his knuckles against his skull the way Sans did when referring to his memory loss, “It doesn’t matter much, because he still remembers you where it counts. Right here.” And he tapped his chest again, his grin growing. “And anything else he’s missing, you can just tell him about, right? Do you really need him to remember everything on his own?”

Aeris dropped her gaze to the floor again, her face growing rosy.

She had never heard of monsters falling in love described that way. If she thought about it, it wasn’t that different to how humans fell in love, even if that love didn’t last sometimes. Either way, love left its mark on them all some way or another, didn’t it?

Yes, Sans didn’t remember her. He had even admitted it himself. But he still felt so strongly for her that it made Aeris shudder just remembering: even with his teeth at her neck, he wasn’t rough with her. He had treated her gently, so very gently, and he had even asked permission before doing anything he felt she might be uncomfortable with. Even if he didn’t love her the way she loved him, the care he showed towards her definitely meant _something._

And, if Papyrus was to be believed about Sans remembering her in his bones, then his gentle treatment of her meant even more.

Aeris felt herself flush, her heart beginning to pound harder as the hope she’d been working to stifle flooded her chest, a flower of light bursting into bloom. She smiled a little at Papyrus, and his answering grin was hopeful as well.

“…I guess I can keep filling in the blanks,” she acknowledged.

“THAT’S THE SPIRIT, PRINCESS!!” Papyrus cheered, making her jump. He pulled her into a hug, but then let go quickly. “…Oh. Perhaps we should save this for when you’re wearing more than my brother’s jacket. Nyeh heh heh…”

Aeris smiled weakly. “Good idea.”

 

* * *

 

An hour later, Aeris was back in her own clothes, reveling in the straight-from-the-dryer warmth they provided. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, frowning at the high patches of red in her cheeks that didn’t seem like they wanted to leave. It was a miracle she hadn’t once become light-headed with how much blushing she had done today. She pinched her cheeks, hoping it would disperse some of the color there, but the action only added to it, and she gave up. Sighing to herself, she left the bathroom—and ran straight into Sans.

“Oh,” she muttered, and again, heat flooded her face as she looked down at the short skeleton. “Hi.”

“Hey,” he replied, the word seeming like it was automatic, since so many of their exchanges began like this nowadays. As she returned his stare, Sans blushed himself, his gaze shifting away. “Listen—” he began in a low voice, and Aeris’ heart began to pound harder—

“Princess!!” Papyrus called, making her and Sans jump. Unable to help it, she hastily stepped away from the short skeleton as Papyrus poked his head out of the kitchen, wearing a chef’s apron that said ‘Kiss the Cook’ in flowery pink writing, accompanied by pink kiss marks, and a chef’s hat that perched jauntily on top of his skull. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“Um,” Aeris hedged, glancing over at Sans. He was staring at the floor. “…No,” Aeris decided, looking apologetic as Papyrus’ face fell. “I’d…better get home. Reyna gets worried when I’m not back by dinner.”

“Can’t you just call her and say you’ll be eating with friends tonight?”

Aeris grimaced. “My phone was in my pocket when I took that impromptu dip in the river. It doesn’t work anymore.”

Papyrus gave her a sheepish look. “Oh. Well, you can use my phone, if you want.”

“I don’t know her number by heart.”

“Oh,” Papyrus said again. Aeris noticed him glance over at Sans with a defeated look, and Aeris got the sneaking suspicion that Papyrus was trying to keep her here for Sans’ sake. “Well…if you have to go, you have to go. Just be careful, all right? It was snowing pretty hard outside when I was coming back from Toriel’s.”

As if to emphasize his point, the wind howled outside, rattling the roof. Aeris gave it an anxious glance, her desire to leave dampened by the fact that she’d have to head out into the cold. After the morning she’d had, it was not a very appealing option. Still, she rallied, determined to go. Space to clear her head sounded smart right about now, and she wouldn’t get it here, where both Sans and her hormones threatened to relieve her of her senses.

“I’ll be all right,” she assured Papyrus with a smile. “A little snow never hurt anyone, right?”

“Maybe not a little,” Sans called from across the room, and Aeris wheeled around, not aware that he had moved until just now. He was at the window, easing it open and reaching out, scraping up a handful of snow seemingly from the air. He let it fall onto the carpet as he gave both Aeris and Papyrus a grim smile. “But this don’t look like ‘a little’.”

Aeris stared out of the window. That couldn’t be right. The snow couldn’t possibly be piled right up to the window sill, could it? Surely it hadn’t snowed _that_ hard in between Papyrus coming home and her getting ready to go…?

As Papyrus yelled at Sans for dumping snow onto the floor, Aeris strode over to the door, unease beginning to gather in the pit of her stomach. She pulled the door open…and stared.

Snow was piled up to her waist in front of the doorway. She gawked at the size of the pile, astounded. It had _never_ snowed this hard when she’d been here last time; even as she watched, snow was being added to the top of the pile, the blizzard brutal in its onslaught to cover the mountain in frost. Even if Aeris climbed out on top of that pile, if she didn’t fall through the snow, she’d be buried alive before she even reached her place.

It was official. She was snowed in with the skeleton brothers.

“Fuck me,” she mumbled under her breath without thinking. There was a gasp at her shoulder, and she jumped, surprised to find that said skeleton brothers had moved closer to look at the snow pile themselves. Papyrus was gawking at her, eye sockets bugging out in disbelief.

“PRINCESS!! SUCH LANGUAGE!!!” He scolded immediately, and Aeris blushed, pressing a hand to her lips.

“Sorry, Papyrus,” she mumbled, thoroughly embarrassed. “I guess I’ve been spending too much time with Reyna.”

“THEN YOU NEED TO SPEND LESS TIME WITH HER!! WHAT A FOUL MOUTH!!”

As Papyrus began to lecture her on swearing in an unladylike fashion, Aeris glanced over at Sans. He was staring up at her, and once he caught her eye, a slow grin spread across his face. The sight made her blush even more.

Judging by his grin, Aeris was almost certain that Sans would be taking what she said as a personal challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaaahahahahahahahahahaha.
> 
> *Whispers*
> 
> Guess who's going to the Bone Zone in the next chapter...?
> 
> 8D
> 
> ~Reyna


	9. I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (WARNING: SUPER NSFW CHAPTER. DO NOT READ AT WORK. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL.)
> 
> I WAS gonna wait until tomorrow to post this.
> 
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Enjoy... 8D
> 
> ~Reyna

Papyrus seemed, to Aeris, like he was taking it upon himself to chaperon her and Sans. He stayed in the room at all times, save to make popcorn and hot chocolate, but he kept up a constant chatter from the kitchen, as if he was afraid Aeris and Sans would start going at each other the minute he let them be.

Well, maybe his fears weren’t unfounded, if the way Sans stared at Aeris when he thought she wasn’t looking was any indication.

Aeris stifled a yawn. They were in the middle of a long trilogy movie marathon that featured elves and dwarfs and rings or something—Aeris wasn’t paying much attention, but Papyrus seemed to love it. Still, he noticed when she yawned, and he paused the movie.

“Sleepy, Princess?”

“A little,” Aeris lied, not wanting to admit that she was bored when Papyrus looked like he was enjoying the movie so much. But he jumped up, turning the DVD player off.

“Very well! We’ll let you rest, then!” Papyrus seized Sans’ arm and dragged his brother upstairs before he returned with a spare pillow and blanket. He handed the items to Aeris like a gift, and she smiled. “Have a good sleep, Princess! If you need anything, you…er, know where to find us!”

His tone made Aeris look curiously up at him. “Thanks…?” She said uncertainly, and Papyrus grinned a conspirator’s grin before he rattled away, muttering “nyeh heh heh” to himself. She had some idea of what the tall skeleton brother might be up to, but ignored his plotting, determined to stay on the couch tonight. Yes, she was stuck here, but it didn’t mean that anything had to happen between her and Sans…

That’s what she was trying to convince herself of, anyway.

Grumbling, Aeris muted the TV and made her makeshift bed on the couch before she laid down, trying very hard not to think about what happened the last time she was in this position. It had been a very tense night, both in the good way and the bad way, and Aeris was actually grateful for Papyrus imposing his presence in between her and Sans, or else who knows what might’ve happened.

Aeris suddenly smirked at the thought of Reyna, wondering what she’d say if she knew where Aeris was right now. All too easily, her voice came to Aeris’ head:

_“The fuck are you doing on the couch? Didn’t you two start something earlier? Are you gonna hide under the covers or are you gonna finish it like a big girl?”_

Aeris rolled her eyes. The portrayal of Reyna in her head was all too accurate; maybe she _was_ spending a little too much time with her. She stretched, grumbling a little as her back gave another spasm of protest. It was too bad her massage had been interrupted…but, on the other hand…

Aeris heard the distinct sound of a door opening upstairs. She froze, keeping perfectly still, listening to the sound of footsteps crossing the hall, then creeping down the stairs. Her gaze flickered to the other end of the couch. Sans was standing there, gazing at her. They stared at each other for a moment.

“…You’re not actually sleepy, are you?” He asked quietly. Not trusting the sound of her own voice at the moment, Aeris merely shook her head. She sat up, drawing her legs underneath her as Sans approached. He took a seat on the opposite end of the couch, clearly meaning to give her space. Aeris tried not to fidget, staring blankly at the TV, with a glance to him from her peripheral vision every few seconds. His gaze was focused on the TV as well, but she could tell that he wasn’t really watching, either. She took in the silence, waiting.

“…So,” Sans began, and she turned to look at him, giving him her attention, “about what happened earlier…”

“Which part?” Aeris attempted to joke. Sans glanced askance at her.

“You know which part,” he rumbled, and Aeris blushed. Returning his gaze to the TV, Sans continued, “before it happened…we both agreed to what was going on, right?”

Aeris nodded. “Yes. We did,” she agreed solemnly. Sans’ gaze returned to her face.

“Because, when Papyrus walked in,” he continued, and Aeris saw the hurt hidden in his gaze, “you acted like—”

“That wasn’t you, Sans,” she hurried to assure him, closing her eyes as her hands pressed to her cheeks, trying to alleviate the heat that settled there. “That was me. I wasn’t expecting Papyrus to walk in, so when he did…I panicked.”

Quiet settled into the room for a moment. When Sans spoke again, his tone was faintly amused.

“You know he lives here too, right? He was bound to walk in eventually.”

Aeris opened her eyes, frowning at the grin Sans wore.

“Are you saying you expected him to walk in on us while we were…busy?”

Sans’ grin widened. “I was hoping he’d be gone a little while longer, actually.”

Aeris sighed, folding her arms. “So, anyway…yeah. That’s why I freaked out. Because I’d forgotten all about Papyrus…and then he suddenly walked in.”

Sans fiddled with the end of his t-shirt, eyeing her. “So, if Pap had never walked in—”

“I wouldn’t have stopped you,” Aeris finished, ignoring the way her face flushed at such a confession. Sans turned towards her now, his gaze locked on hers, like a predator that had just spotted its prey, completely defenseless. The look made Aeris’ shiver to her core.

“Any more second thoughts?” He asked quietly. Aeris breathed deeply, dwelling on her conversation with Papyrus for only a second longer before all other thoughts were banished from her mind.

“No,” she replied. Sans’ left eye socket flared with a blue light, the tip of his tongue beginning to snake out through his teeth.

“Then get over here,” he growled.

Aeris did not need to be told twice. She slid over to him, closing the remaining distance between them quickly, crawling right into his lap and straddling him. Sans grinned at this, but Aeris didn’t give him a chance to make whatever shitty joke he was clearly thinking of, pressing her lips to his teeth, her hands sliding up to hold his skull in place. Sans let out a muted groan, and Aeris felt his hands slide over her hips, reaching up to her shoulder blades and slowly dragging down her back, digging in as if he meant to tear her t-shirt to shreds. Aeris groaned as one of his fingers hit her sore muscle. He pulled back, gazing up at her, a hint of concern to the shape of his eye sockets.

“Still sore?”

“A little,” Aeris admitted, taking advantage of his distraction; she hooked a finger into the collar of his t-shirt, pulling it aside and leaning down to kiss his clavicle. Sans’ breath hitched, and then grew heavier. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Really?” Sans muttered, and Aeris began to smirk as he bit back a groan. “‘Cause, not gonna lie…I really wanna throw you back on this couch right now. But if it’s gonna hurt—”

Aeris appreciated how considerate he was trying to be, but she just did not have the patience for the doting at the moment. So she bit down on his clavicle bone.

“A-ahh,” Sans grunted in surprise, and his grip on her tightened. “Aeris—”

“Do whatever you want to me,” she blurted out, raising her head, meeting his gaze. She didn’t care if her back was sore—hell, the house could be on fire and she wouldn’t care. She didn’t care about anything other than the fact that Sans was not touching her enough right now.

Sans caught onto her mood quickly. Aeris stifled a yelp as he did indeed throw her back onto the couch. Her back objected, but she ignored it with ease as Sans climbed on top of her, his tongue lolling out of his mouth again, as if he couldn’t help it. Aeris giggled a little at the sight, her thumb stroking the odd, glowing, inhuman tongue. Sans playfully bit down on her thumb.

“You look like a dog when you do that,” she teased, her giggles transforming into whimpers when one of Sans’ hands found its way under her t-shirt. He grinned at her expression.

“Accurate, since I’m lookin’ to bury a bone right now,” he joked. Aeris pressed a hand over her mouth to muffle her moans and giggles, which became harder when Sans’ tongue ran the length of her neck. She shivered, squirming underneath him as his hand cupped her breast, his thumb teasing her nipple, causing it to harden. Aeris whined into her hand.

“Don’t do that,” Sans mumbled, and his free hand tugged hers away from her mouth, lacing his fingers with hers as he pressed her hand into the couch, above her head. He panted over her, skull flushing blue, his expression hungry. “I want to hear you.”

He gave her nipple a squeeze. Aeris yelped, but she cut the sound off by biting into her bottom lip. She squeezed her eyes shut, hearing Sans cluck his tongue in disapproval.

“You’re stubborn,” he noted, and Aeris fought against more moans as his teeth grazed her neck. She slapped her other hand over her mouth, unwilling to give in just yet. He nipped at her earlobe, muttering to her. “Hmm…maybe you’ll be a little louder if I try a little harder…”

Aeris shuddered as his fingers trailed down her abdomen, her hips rising of their own accord when his fingertips dipped past the waistband of her jeans. He stroked her skin teasingly, not bothering to venture any further, despite the whimpering sounds Aeris was muffling behind her hand. She heard him snickering and opened her eyes to glare at him—he was enjoying this too much.

“You’re so sensitive,” he murmured, the light in his left eye socket flaring. Aeris moved her hand, opening her mouth to tell him that he wouldn’t be so high and mighty if their positions were reversed right now—but when he suddenly grinned, Aeris realized too late that she fucked up. His hand dove into her jeans, sliding over her underwear, one of his fingers pressing firmly into her sensitive spot.

“Ah! H-ahh,” Aeris yelped, unable to help herself. She slapped her hand back over her mouth, but too late; the noise was out, seeming to reverberate throughout the living room. Sans stared down at her, his breathing unsteady; he seemed unaware that his tongue was slowly gliding across the top row of his teeth.

“That was good…” he rumbled, and Aeris muffled another squeak of pleasure as he rubbed at her again. “Do it again.”

Aeris fought through her breathlessness, keeping her hand carefully over her mouth even as she worked to speak.

“Papyrus,” she mumbled, and Sans stopped. He gave her a look that was half-exasperated, half-amused.

“Way to kill the mood,” he joked, pressing a little harder and making Aeris moan. “I’m Sans, remember?”

“N-no,” she mumbled, grabbing at his wrist to make him stop for a moment. Panting a little, she fixed him with an embarrassed stare, her face flushed. “I mean…Papyrus will hear us. We should go to your room.”

Even as she watched Sans comprehend her meaning, he grinned down at her, chuckling under his breath.

“Hate to break it to ya, Princess, but I share a wall with Papyrus,” Sans pointed out, “he’s gonna hear ya either way.” His eye sockets became half-lidded. “Especially if you keep moanin’ like that…”

Aeris struggled to keep her focus under his ravenous stare.

“B-but he could walk in on us again,” she mumbled, pulling Sans’ hand out of her jeans for now. She sat up a little, meeting Sans’ gaze seriously. “I’d feel better if we had a locked door to prevent that, y’know?”

Sans let out a slow breath. After a moment, he nodded.

“Point taken.” He got up, grabbing her wrist and pulling her after him. “C’mon.”

Aeris only had enough time to stumble to her feet before Sans was pulling her to the stairs, clearly impatient. She glanced over her shoulder, realizing with a surge of guilt that the TV was still on. “The TV—”

“Leave it.”

“But—”

Sans turned around suddenly. Aeris faltered as he stepped towards her, backing her into the banister. She jumped, afraid she might fall, but Sans’ hands grabbed her hips, holding her steady. The light in his left eye socket seemed to flare urgently, reacting to his mood.

“Aeris. If you don’t want me to take you right here, forget the fucking TV,” he growled.

Aeris felt more heat rise to her face. Holy hell, he never talked to her _that_ way. It was…kind of hot. Swallowing, she nodded meekly. Needing no further prompting, Sans resumed dragging her to his room. Aeris only caught a glimpse of it before the door shut behind her, plunging the room into darkness. There was the telling sound of a lock clicking into place, and then silence.

Aeris shivered, feeling Sans behind her a moment later. His hands slid around her, and he surprised her with a tender hug. She wondered why it seemed like he was trying to put her at ease. Was he worried that she was having second thoughts? Or was this a silent apology for the way he’d just spoken to her? Either way, it was nice.

“Aeris?”

“Yeah?”

“…Is this going to be your first time?”

A fresh blush heated Aeris’ cheeks. “Yes,” she admitted. It grew silent in the room again for a moment.

“Are you scared?” The question was quiet, wondering. Aeris’ hands closed over Sans’, squeezing them in reassurance.

“No. Because it’s you.”

Sans’ breath caught in the darkness. He squeezed her back, and then, after a moment, let go, keeping only one of her hands as he led her to the bed. Aeris sat down, her gaze going to Sans, whose left eye socket was glowing in the dark. Aeris used that as her guide, her hand reaching out, stroking his cheekbones. Sans closed his eye sockets and sighed, seeming to revel in her touch. Slowly, Aeris let her hands trail down him, tracing his frame, re-committing it to memory. She pushed his t-shirt out of the way, her fingers exploring his bones the way they did on another night, carefully stroking them, as if he were made of glass. Sans made a noise in the back of his throat, his tongue beginning to poke out through his teeth again. The fact that he seemed unable to control this reaction made Aeris grin.

“Now look who’s sensitive,” she teased, tugging at his t-shirt to hint to him to take it off. Sans obliged her, and she reached for him again, her fingers slipping through the grooves of his rib cage.

“Nn…w-wait,” he stuttered, catching Aeris’ wrists. She blinked in surprise, looking up at him. He glanced away for a moment, and Aeris watched as he wiped some drool from his jaw, looking self-conscious. “I…I want to touch you more.”

Aeris pouted at this. “You’ve been touching me all night.”

“I know…but…” Sans glanced back at her, the need for her burning in his expression once again. “I’ve been wanting to touch you for so long…”

“So’ve I,” Aeris argued, her fingers tightening on his bones. Sans groaned, one of his eye sockets closing. “You think I haven’t wanted to—”

“Aeris,” he moaned her name, cutting her off, peering up at her helplessly, his bones beginning to rattle. “ _Please._ ”

What was it about him begging that managed to crumble her resistance? She closed her eyes for a moment, struggling to remember how to breathe. She _had_ said that he could do whatever he wanted to her…and she _supposed_ she could be a little more patient…

She nodded, and Sans let out a breath, stepping closer to her, plucking at her t-shirt.

“Take it off,” he commanded softly. Feeling her face burn, Aeris slipped out of her t-shirt, and then out of her bra a moment later out of courtesy; she didn’t want Sans to struggle with such an unfamiliar contraption. She sat there, half-naked, watching Sans’ gaze slowly roam over her—apparently, the darkness didn’t affect his sight the way it affected hers. She blushed under his gaze, fighting the urge to cross her arms around herself.

Suddenly, his hands were there, carefully roving over her skin, raising heat wherever he touched. Aeris shivered, biting her lip to keep her moans from getting out.

“So this is skin,” Sans said quietly, his breath just as unsteady as hers as he touched and rubbed her everywhere. “It’s soft…”

Aeris made a noise of protest in the back of her throat when Sans pressed down on one of the bruises that was beginning to form just over her bellybutton. He paused, glancing up at Aeris’ face. Then he knelt down to get a closer look at the bruise. Aeris gave a yelp when she felt his tongue slide over the bruise.

“So vulnerable,” he muttered to himself, and Aeris shivered as his tongue slowly made its way up her body, strangled moans threatening to break through her lips.

“Sans,” she ground out when he reached her neck, his teeth pressing softly into her skin, “come _on._ ”

The skeleton chuckled under his breath, his bones pressing against her bare skin as his hands stroked her back next. “‘M I takin’ too long for ya, Princess?”

He was enjoying this way too much. In retribution, Aeris reached around him, raking her nails roughly against his spine. Sans jumped at the contact.

“Ah! S-shit,” he swore, and Aeris grinned victoriously. It soon disappeared in her surprise, however; Sans suddenly shoved her back onto the bed, crouching over her as his hands worked to undo the button of her jeans.

“Now who’s impatient?” Aeris teased as he finally got the button loose and the zipper down. Sans made a noise that was somewhere in between a chuckle and a growl, and Aeris raised her hips to help him tug her jeans off. Now in nothing but her panties, Aeris felt herself blush under Sans’ stare as he took in all of her. The way he looked at her…

“You’re beautiful,” he said softly, and the electricity sparking through Aeris’ veins increased two-fold. “You’re so beautiful, Aeris.”

Aeris covered her face with her hands. God, did he _have_ to say that? She was already in bed with him; it wasn’t like she needed any more convincing. It wasn’t like she didn’t already want him enough, but now, hearing such loving words from him…

In her embarrassment and arousal, she was vaguely aware of him pulling off her panties, but she was still too hot from his words to look and see what he was doing. But then, something warm and wet suddenly slid over her inner thigh, and she choked on the gasp that escaped her. Lowering her hands from her eyes, she peeked down at him. Sans’ hands were pressed into her thighs, his skull between her legs. His tongue was tracing over her inner thigh, leaving her shivering and whimpering from the chills it sent through her, her legs beginning to tremble from the foreign pleasure. As she watched him, he glanced up, locking gazes with her. His expression teasing, his tongue flicked out, grazing against her sensitive area.

Aeris let out a squeak that evolved into a high-pitched whine when he repeated the action. She pressed her hands to her face, unable to look away as he continued to tease her, fascinated and going out of her mind with pleasure.

“How—ahhh…” She swallowed hard and tried again, fighting through her breathy moans and the haze clouding her thoughts to form words. “How d’you know to…do this…?” The last time they had come this close to being intimate, Sans had frozen like a deer in headlights when it came to touching her. Now, all of a sudden, he was apparently an expert in what made her feel good. It made Aeris a little uneasy, like he had been practicing this, but with other women…

Sans raised his head, grinning at her.

“Porn,” he replied matter-of-factly. Aeris stared at him.

“…You watch _porn?_ ” She asked, sitting up on her elbows and blinking in surprise. Sans laughed at her expression.

“It's a new hobby…but what's with the surprise? Isn’t it a thing that all guys watch porn?”

“Well yeah, _human_ guys, but they have…genitals…” Aeris blushed, cleared her throat, and continued. “Besides, porn isn’t a very good representation of actual sex.”

Sans gave her a dry look. “Y’mean ya _don’t_ want me to spit on you and call ya a dirty whore? Well now I’m all confused.”

“Sans—” Aeris tried to sit up, but Sans pushed down on her abdomen, keeping her in place. His grin softened as he looked down at her.

“Relax, Princess. I may not have ever done this before, but I’m not completely clueless.” He seemed to hesitate a moment, his left eye socket flaring with light. There was a sudden glow between his legs, and Aeris stared again as the bulge from before made itself known, completely unsheathed; Sans must’ve gotten rid of his shorts when she wasn’t looking.

“Still…” Sans grumbled, looking away as Aeris glanced up at him. He seemed nervous now. “…Tell me if I hurt you, okay?”

Slowly, Aeris sat up, staring at the new appendage. She supposed it looked the way a human penis was supposed to look…if it were blue and radioactive. Still, she couldn’t look away, utterly fascinated. Was this how monsters normally had sex? Or did Sans have to improvise because she was human? Curiously, she reached out, feeling the warmth of it radiating through the air before she even touched it.

“How does this work, exactly?” She wondered, glancing up at him before her eyes dropped to it again. “I mean…can you… _feel_ —”

Aeris’ fingertips traced the length of his erection. It was a lot warmer than she was expecting, and the way Sans’ breath hitched made her stop talking, looking up at him in surprise. He was leaning forward a little, panting a little, his tongue out as he stared at her, desire burning in his gaze like an unquenchable inferno. The mere touch of his gaze seemed to set her whole body on fire, rendering her speechless; the rest of her sentence disappeared into the ether.

“Yeah,” he said shortly, panting the word. It took Aeris a moment to realize he was answering her question.

“Oh,” she said softly, unable to think of anything else to say. That seemed to be fine with Sans, however; he climbed onto the bed, easing her back as he positioned himself between her legs. Aeris bit her lip, her hands unconsciously gripping the sheets. She had heard it was supposed to hurt the first time, but she hadn’t really fully thought about it until now. She wondered how much it would hurt before the thought was wiped from her mind; Sans was rubbing at her entrance, and she whimpered, need overtaking fear.

“Ready?” Sans wanted to check. Aeris gave a jerky nod. God, was she ready for this.

“Be gentle,” she still reminded him, attempting to look stern despite the heat that flooded her cheeks. Sans grinned reassuringly and gave a nod.

“Absolutely,” he promised. Still, Aeris closed her eyes as he began to enter her, biting into her lip. At first, it felt…weird. This was an all-new sensation to her, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it just yet. And it _did_ hurt, but not nearly as much as she was afraid it would, though she had to ask Sans to hold still a couple times so she could get used to him. Finally, he was all the way in, and Aeris could hear him panting, his fingers digging into her thighs. She felt him pulse inside of her, and it rose a groan to her lips.

“Okay,” she muttered after a second, peeking up at him, “you can move. Slowly.”

Sans nodded and did so, moving carefully. Aeris met his gaze as he looked down at her, and she could tell he was watching for signs that he was hurting her. Aeris gave him a small smile of encouragement, just to assure him that she was all right. He moved a little faster, making his motions fluid. Aeris bit her lip to keep from moaning too loudly, the sensation inside of her changing, growing into something… _amazing_.

“A-ahh…” she moaned, unable to help it. “Mm…good…”

Sans thrust deeper, hitting a spot inside her that Aeris wasn’t even aware of until now. Her back arched, a cracked moan escaping her as her fingers buried themselves in her hair.

“Ahh! Sans!” She cried, her legs beginning to shake. Suddenly, however, Sans stopped moving. Aeris opened her eyes, peering at him in confusion. He was leaning over her, his eye sockets closed, panting like he was already finished. Aeris stared at him, wondering if that was really it and trying to fight off her disappointment. After all, it was their first time together…something like this was statistically bound to happen, wasn’t it?

But as she propped herself up on her elbows, she could still feel him throbbing inside her, need pulsing through his erection. Okay, clearly he wasn’t finished…so what was the problem?

She studied the expression on his face for one second…and then came to a realization that had her raising her eyebrows.

“…Are you tired?” She asked him, disbelief coloring her tone. She watched as Sans flushed blue, peering up at her with an apologetic look.

“Heh…sorry…don’t have as much energy as I used to…” he grumbled. Aeris bit her lip to keep from snorting in laughter.

“That’s what you get for being so lazy,” she teased. Hooking her legs around him, she grinned at the confusion that passed through his expression. “It’s okay, though. You don’t have to do _all_ the work.”

Aeris rolled them over, re-positioning herself so that she was on top, her hands resting on his rib cage as she adjusted to the new position. She opened her mouth to tease him a little more about his quick exhaustion…but the words got caught in her throat when she took in his new expression.

Sans was staring up at her with an expression she’d never seen on him before. His whole skull was tinted blue, his breathing irregular, and his hands rested beside him, twitching, as if he didn’t know what to do with them. His whole being was vibrating, and she could feel him throbbing inside her more than ever. Aeris raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this sudden change.

“What’s the matter?” She asked, trailing her fingertips down his rib cage. Such a simple action made him jerk, one of his eye sockets shutting as he bit down on his tongue.

“Nnf! Hhh…” he huffed, and he blushed even more. Aeris watched as saliva began to dribble from his tongue, and suddenly, she understood: this must be his fantasies about her coming to life.

The thought made her grin a wicked grin.

“Oh…I see.” She leaned over him, letting her tongue trace his rib cage, enjoying the way his breath hitched at the action, his bones beginning to rattle. “So, when you dreamed of me…was this what you had in mind…?”

She bit down on his clavicle bone. Sans let out a choked moan, and she could hear his back teeth grind together as he worked to stifle the sound. His hips jerked, and it was Aeris’ turn to moan as he hit deeper inside her. This position worked out better for the both of them, it seemed.

Aeris sat up, pushing her hair out of her face as she grinned down at him.

“All right, my pillow prince,” she teased him, her fingertips tracing across his rattling bones, “I’ll give you what you want. Just sit back and enjoy, okay?”

Sans looked like he wanted to say something, but Aeris rocked forward, grinding against him. Whatever words he was forming were drowned in the moan that escaped him. His fingers dug into Aeris’ thighs again as she rocked against him, setting a steady rhythm that had her moaning nearly as much as him. But he was moaning quite a bit, she noted smugly.

It was way better than last time: as much as Aeris enjoyed the sensation of Sans inside her, she couldn’t get enough of his expressions and the sounds he made. His tongue was perpetually out, drooling as he stared at her, his eye sockets half-lidded, panting as quietly as he could. When she began to stroke his spine, however, he had to grind his teeth together to muffle the groans that threatened to escape. Aeris leaned over to kiss him, her tongue trailing the underside of his jaw, drawing a low, drawn-out groan from him.

“F-fuck,” he swore, and Aeris grinned.

“Such a foul mouth,” she teased, “I must be doing something right.”

Sans opened his mouth, but didn’t get a chance to say whatever he was about to—Aeris kissed him, slipping her tongue through his teeth to tease him. He seemed to calm down a little with the kiss, which was good; Aeris wanted his guard to be down. She drew back from him, smiling a little at the way his tongue followed, wanting more. But her smile grew wicked again; before Sans could react, she slipped her thumb into his mouth, wedged between his back molars. He stared at her, giving her the same bewildered look he did the first time she did this as she sat back up, grinning down at him.

“I wonder how loudly you’ll cuss if I do this…”

As Sans’ eye sockets widened in understanding, Aeris let her fingertips stroke the top of his ischium. Sans jerked again, a blush flooding his skull.

“Ahhh! Haaaah…haaaah…” He panted, beginning to salivate again. He stared up at her in shock as she grinned at him, laughing under her breath.

“Never mind,” she mumbled, leaning over him with her devious grin still in place. “I like those noises a lot better. Do more of those.”

It became clear in about two seconds that Sans was being overstimulated. As Aeris resumed her steady pace, stroking his ischium any way she pleased, she watched with no small amount of enjoyment as Sans seemed to lose it. One of his hands was gripping her wrist, as if he meant to pull her thumb out of his mouth, but couldn’t quite accomplish it because he was feeling too good. His eye sockets were squeezed shut, his head tilted back, tongue lolling out as he drooled, panted and moaned, his free hand alternating between gripping the sheets and digging into Aeris’ thigh. His bones rattled harder than ever, competing with the cries of pleasure that were escaping him.

“Ahhn, ahh, _ahhh!_ Oh go—aahh! Hhh—haaaaaah! F-fffuu—uuhhh!”

He couldn’t even curse properly anymore. Aeris bit her lip, quickening the pace unconsciously. It was too hot, watching him like this, losing his mind, unable to form coherent words because she was giving him too much pleasure. It was driving her crazy, wanting to see him come completely undone because of her, wanting this, to be with him, for so long—

As the pressure inside her began to build, Sans arched his spine, his hands clutching at his skull now, his cries reaching a fractured pitch.

“A-Aeris!” He groaned, and Aeris felt herself shudder at the sound. Oh, he was close. She could tell. She picked up the pace, moving faster than ever, and Sans reached for her, pulling himself up as his fingertips dug into her back, clawing at her skin. He pressed himself against her, his breathy moans mixing with hers, both of them shaking as their climaxes approached, building into a fantastic crescendo that rendered them both senseless when it finally hit. Sans sank his teeth into Aeris’ neck, and she could feel the vibrations of his muffled groans there as she cried out his name, waves of pleasure shuddering through her. She felt him disappear from within her, and leaned over him as he collapsed back on the bed, his hands pressed over his skull again. Aeris made herself breathe deeply, her eyes closed, the racing of her heart reverberating through her whole body. That…had _definitely_ been worth the wait.

She opened her eyes to tease Sans with a mock question of whether or not it was good for him…but the words got caught in her throat. Sans’ hands were pressed over his eye sockets, but she saw tears leaking from them, sliding over his cheekbones. He was crying.

Aeris froze. Oh god. What had she done to cause this?

“Sans?” She asked hesitantly, a hand reaching out to stroke the tears away from his skull. “Are…are you okay? Did I, um, hurt you?”

Sans was still panting. He seemed unable to form words yet, and just gave a jerky shake of his head. Biting her lip, Aeris laid down beside him, easing his hands away from his skull. His eye sockets were still closed, tears still trailing from them. Aeris rubbed these away too, stroking his cheekbones and softly saying his name until he looked at her. She stared at him a moment, trying to guess the reason for his sudden anguish from his expression…but the thing was, he didn’t look sad…

“What’s wrong?” She had to ask, frowning at the need for confirmation. Sans’ skull, not quite rid of his blush yet, darkened with another blush, and he glanced away from her.

“You’ll laugh,” he muttered. Aeris scowled at the assumption.

“I will not.” Honestly, she couldn’t think of anything less funny at the moment. “Come on, tell me. You’re freaking me out, here.”

Sans loosed a long sigh, staring at the ceiling. Aeris waited as his tears dried, the seconds ticking by. Finally, Sans turned, lying on his side to look at her. His expression was embarrassed.

“It felt too good,” he stated bluntly. He glanced away as Aeris stared at him in surprise. “That’s why I…”

“…Oh.” Sans’ gaze flashed back to her, looking like he expected laughter to come at any minute. But Aeris did not laugh. She just continued to stroke his cheekbones, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. “I’m sorry.”

Sans’ arms slid around her before she could draw back. He pressed his skull into her chest, groaning a little under his breath.

“Don’t be,” he muttered, his breath tickling her skin. “It was…that was…” he swallowed, searching for a good word. Smiling a little, Aeris decided to help him out.

“Good?” She teased. Sans looked up at her, and her breath caught at the way he stared at her—it was the most adoring look she had seen on him to date. It made her heart flutter just looking at him.

“It was better than anything I could’ve _ever_ dreamed of,” he said fervently, making Aeris blush. “Thank you.”

She giggled nervously at that. “No problem…” She glanced over Sans’ head, at the opposite wall, and her grin became guilty. “But poor Papyrus. He’s probably traumatized now.” Her gaze went back to Sans, smirking at the way he blushed. “You weren’t quiet at all.”

“Shut up,” he grumbled, burying his face in her chest again, though this time it was to hide his embarrassment. Aeris giggled, sliding her arms around him as well. They stayed like that for a while, the peace of the moment extremely relieving to Aeris. She never thought things would be like this again, but here they were. True, the situation wasn’t exactly what she wanted it to be…but it was good enough, right?

She settled against Sans, humming in content. He pulled back a little, and she opened her eyes to find him peering up at her, looking drowsy.

“Sleepy?” He asked her, and Aeris grinned at him.

“Why? You wanna go another round?” She teased, her fingertips trailing down his spine. Sans shivered in response.

“Maybe later.” He gave her a challenging look. “As soon as I get my energy back, I’m gonna getcha back for all those embarrassing noises you made me make.”

Gee, that sounded familiar. Aeris grinned in response.

“Bring it on, you punny bonehead.”

 

* * *

 

Reyna glances up at you all from over her glasses. She grins at the flushed looks a few of you wear.

“Something the matter?” She asks, tilting her head to the side with a knowing grin. “Some of you look like you could, uh, use a break.”

Some of you shift uncomfortably, glancing at each other and then away. Sure, you all know you’re dirty skeleton fuckers, but Reyna didn’t have to blatantly point it out like this, did she?

She regards you all for a moment, and then pulls her glasses off, meticulously polishing them with the end of her shirt.

“You know…this might be a good time for a bathroom break,” she decides, holding her glasses up to the light to inspect them for smudges. “I can give you guys an hour…or two.”

She cuts her eyes to you all, something like mischief sparkling in her dark gaze.

“I am also comfortable with renting my room out for those of you who need it. Ten bucks each,” she states. “But don’t touch anything, or you’re dead.”

You all stare at her. She raises her eyebrows at you.

“No? You sure? The next bathroom break won’t be for a _very_ long time…”

She trails off, eyebrows still raised. After a moment, a few of you, blushing furiously, reach for your wallets.

Reyna grins at this. “Welcome to the Bone Zone. Just try not to make too much of a mess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Slam-dunks you all into the Sin Bin*
> 
> Remember: you're here forever.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, you dirty skeleton fuckers. XD
> 
> ~Reyna


	10. Madness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Appropriate music reference is appropriate.
> 
> Thanks for being patient~ New chapter is up, and it's a sizable one (though I kinda feel like I cheated, since some of this text is borrowed from stuff I already wrote...you'll see. :P)
> 
> Also, it gets NSFW near the end, so just be warned.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> ~Reyna

Aeris awoke slowly, her internal clock telling her that it was later than her usual wake up time. She groaned a little under her breath, feeling sore for some reason. Oh, right—she had tumbled down a hill and into the river yesterday, hadn’t she? That must be why her body felt like one big bruise—

Aeris’ eyes abruptly flew open. She sat up too quick, and pain lanced through her back in protest. She ignored it for the most part, looking around her.

Sans’ room had changed. The treadmill that he never used had gone missing, as well as the trash tornado that usually swirled around in the corner. It wasn’t exactly neat, but it was a lot less messy than the last time she was here. How strange.

Aeris glanced beside her, and went cold when she noticed the other half of the bed was empty. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, willing herself to calm down. It didn’t mean anything that Sans wasn’t in bed with her…he was probably downstairs, watching TV, chugging a ketchup bottle…

Willing herself to believe that nothing was wrong, Aeris got up, carefully getting dressed because she was _definitely_ starting to feel the kickback from last night. Wasn’t the pain supposed to be only a small part of it? She didn’t know it would leave her feeling sore the next day, too. It had been worth it, of course, but still…

The TV was off. Aeris paused on the stairs, wondering about that. Someone must have gotten up to turn it off…but who?

A door flew open behind her. She turned to see Papyrus emerging from his room, looking as cheerful as always.

“Good morning!” He bade her, his enthusiasm so infectious that Aeris had to smile, too. “How did you sleep, Princess?”

“Er…fine,” she answered, giving Papyrus a strange look. He…looked rather refreshed, for someone who had to share a wall with Sans after last night’s…activities. Even stranger, he didn’t look like anything was wrong; Papyrus merely marched past her, humming to himself as he headed down the stairs. Curiouser and curiouser. “How did you sleep?” She bothered to ask, following him down the steps.

“Quite well!” Papyrus’ eye sockets shone as he looked back at her. “Mettaton gave me a preview CD of new songs he’s been working on! I fell asleep listening to it on repeat with these noise-cancelling headphones he gave me as an early Christmas present!”

This made Aeris pause. “Oh…so, you, uh—”

“Didn’t hear a thing!” Papyrus confirmed with a thumbs up. Aeris felt her face go red; clearly, Papyrus had thought this through as thoroughly as he could. How embarrassing.

“Okay. Um, anyway…do you know where Sans is?”

The grin slid from Papyrus’ face. “You don’t know where he is?”

“No…” Aeris sighed, moving over to the couch to fold up the blanket she never ended up using the night before. “When I woke up, he was gone.”

“Oh. Hmm.” She heard Papyrus rattling around behind her, but her gaze stayed focus on her folding, needing something to do with her hands to quell the urge to pull on her hair. It was not a good sign that Sans seemed to have disappeared. Not a good sign at all.

“Well, the snow’s piled higher than ever now!” Papyrus announced. Aeris glanced over her shoulder to see that the tall skeleton brother was at the window. He tapped on the glass, where snow was stacked up against the window pane now. “He couldn’t have gone very far, if he _is_ out there! Did you check the bathroom?”

“No,” Aeris admitted, and Papyrus quickly strode down the hall, calling for his brother.

“Sans? Sans!”

He waited. Aeris waited, praying with all her might that the bonehead would respond, having just fell asleep in the tub or something ridiculous like that…

But nobody answered.

“Hrrrmm…” Papyrus hummed, folding his arms with an extremely concentrated look on his face. “This is odd…you didn’t fight with Sans last night, did you, Princess?”

“No,” Aeris replied, placing the folded blanket and the pillow she hadn’t used neatly on the floor next to the couch. “We didn’t fight at all.”

“Hmmmmmmm.”

Aeris prayed that he kept humming, not wanting to delve into this conversation any further than she had to. She would die of embarrassment if Papyrus demanded to know what exactly she and his brother had gotten up to the night before…

“Then…” Papyrus began, and Aeris braced herself, her face aflame, “…are you and my brother back together now?”

Aeris looked over at Papyrus in shock. That had _not_ been a question she had been expecting, and it threw her for a loop. Especially because, now, she wasn’t sure of the answer. Yes, they’d had sex last night, but that didn’t mean they were back together, did it? It was something she’d want to discuss with Sans himself…if the stupid bonehead was here to discuss it…

“Um,” she hedged, but was promptly interrupted by the sudden glowing ring that appeared right in front of the door. Staring into the ring gave Aeris a headache, and she averted her eyes, watching from her peripheral as a familiar figure materialized from the ether. Sans exited the ring, his gaze on the floor, snow covering him. Papyrus and Aeris gaped at him.

“SANS!” Papyrus suddenly barked, causing both Sans and Aeris to jump. “ _There_ you are! Where have you been?! We’ve been worried sick!!”

Sans blinked up at Papyrus, as if he was struggling for a second to remember who his brother was. His gaze shifted to Aeris and away so fast that she wondered if she wasn’t just imagining things for a moment.

“Sorry, bro,” Sans apologized belatedly, and as if he just noticed he was covered in snow, began to brush himself off. “I just went out for a walk.”

“IN THIS WEATHER?!” Papyrus demanded, stomping his foot in outrage. “THAT’S IT! YOU’RE GROUNDED!!! NO MORE RANDOM WANDERINGS FOR YOU UNTIL I SAY SO!!!”

This made Sans grin. “Grounded? Aw, c’mon, Pap: y’know I’m already pretty much… _down to earth._ ”

“AND NONE OF YOUR TERRIBLE JOKES!!!”

“Oh, Papyrus, go easy on him,” Aeris requested softly. Papyrus glanced at her, looking like he felt bad…until a slow grin began to spread across Aeris’ face. “Don’t be such a stick in the _mud._ ”

“OH MY GOD!!!” Papyrus roared, his eye sockets bugging out of his skull. “DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM, PRINCESS, OR YOU’RE GROUNDED, TOO!!!”

As he stomped off, complaining loudly about Sans trekking in snow and how of course, he, the GREAT Papyrus, always had to clean up after him, Aeris approached the short skeleton brother, her lips twitching into a guilty smile.

“You have snow piled up on your skull,” she informed Sans, leaning over and carefully brushing it off for him. “If this is a new fashion statement you’re trying to make—”

The snow pun she was about to make cut off in a squeak; Sans tugged her to him by the collar of her t-shirt, surprising her with a skeleton’s kiss. Aeris stared at him in bewilderment before relief began to take over, and she kissed him back. Thank god. He wasn’t weird about last night. He couldn’t be weird about last night if he was kissing her like this—

Sans pulled back. Aeris opened her eyes to look at him. He was regarding her with a strange look, as if he was expecting something of her. Aeris’ brow furrowed at that.

“What?” She asked softly, lowering her voice so Papyrus wouldn’t hear—not that he would, with all the annoyed banging around in the kitchen that he was doing.

Hesitation began to grow in Sans’ gaze as he stared at her.

“…Last night,” he began, and he and Aeris blushed simultaneously, “when you agreed to come to bed with me…did you agree because you believed I’d remember something if you were…intimate with me?”

Aeris blinked at that. She stared at him, nonplussed. Where in the world would he come up with such a conclusion?

“No,” she answered honestly, and Sans glanced away, letting out a breath. “I slept with you last night because I wanted to. Why would…” Aeris trailed off, searching Sans’ gaze as it returned to her. There was something new there…something like…recognition…but stronger…

Aeris’ eyes widened, and a hand flew to her mouth. “Did…did you _remember_ something?”

Sans cringed at her, taking a step back. “I knew it,” he muttered under his breath, and Aeris frowned at the look he wore.

“Knew what?” She questioned, stepping forward, unwilling to let him distance himself from her. “Sans—”

“—most irresponsible person EVER!” The tail end of his rant announced Papyrus’ reentry, and Aeris hastily straightened up as he marched forward, looking irritable as he carried a dust pan and brush. “Now hold still so I can get this snow off you _without_ it ruining our carpet!”

Aeris stepped back, looking away from the pair of them, her arms folded around her.

Sans remembered something. She didn’t really think it was possible…but he had remembered something, all on his own. Surprisingly, Aeris didn’t quite know how to feel about that. On the one hand, she supposed she was relieved, even a little happy that pieces of him were coming back, no matter what the cause…but on the other hand, last night had been about her making peace with the fact that Sans would probably never get his memory back on his own. She had been okay with that, all ready to fill in the blanks for him, ready to help him piece together his shattered memories of her…but had she just really needed to be patient after all?

The main thing that bothered her, however, was that Sans seemed to think that she _planned_ this, somehow, that their night together had been brought about by a hidden agenda she had regarding his memories. Now _that_ was ridiculous—she had never heard of sex curing anyone’s amnesia, and the fact that Sans seemed to believe she only slept with him to get his memories back was insulting. They definitely needed to talk…but perhaps not now, with the way Papyrus was still fuming. Aeris needed a little cool-down time as well, though the only way she could have it was inside the house…stupid, teleporting skeleton.

“I’m gonna make breakfast,” she announced, the need to keep her hands busy surfacing once again. She circled around the skeleton brothers, heading for the kitchen. “Any requests?”

“Spaghetti!” Papyrus demanded immediately, and Aeris smiled at that.

“Breakfast spaghetti, huh? Never tried that before…but I suppose I could give it a shot,” she allowed, grinning at the way Papyrus’ expression lit up. “The noodles in their usual place?”

“Of course! Left cabinet above the stove!” Papyrus recited by heart. Aeris grinned at him, though it faded when she laid eyes on his brother, who was watching her carefully, as if she were a wild animal they had taken in against his better judgement.

“How about you? Spaghetti or ketchup bottle?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Sans glanced away from her, and Aeris briefly closed her eyes, willing herself to not let his reaction bother her.

“I’m good with ketchup,” he announced, as she suspected he would. She gave a simple nod and disappeared into the kitchen, grateful that spaghetti was a task that would keep her mind busy for a while as well, if she tried really hard with the sauce. As she retreated, however, she noticed the look that Papyrus gave the pair of them. It was disappointed, like their exchange wasn’t at all what he expected it to be.

Aeris just prayed he didn’t think of anything to do that would make the new tension between her and Sans worse.

 

* * *

 

“NYEH!” Papyrus cried suddenly in the middle of their movie marathon, making Aeris jump. “I’m bored!!!”

“You’re the one that chose this movie, Pap,” Sans pointed out lazily from the opposite side of the couch from Aeris; he looked like he was half-asleep. Aeris herself felt drowsy, but she was keeping her eyes open through sheer willpower, since Papyrus had been so excited about doing something together after breakfast. But, as irritated as she was with the bonehead right now, she had to agree with Sans: Papyrus had no business being bored when he was the one that had picked this movie in the first place.

“I know that! I expected it to be more interesting because it has spaghetti in it, but they keep talking about other food that I don’t care about!” Papyrus paused the movie, huffing irritably. “This is false advertisement! I should write a letter to complain!”

“Well, maybe we should do something else, then,” Aeris suggested, stifling a yawn. “What do you wanna do, Papyrus?”

“How come he gets to pick what we do again?” Sans asked, glancing over at Aeris for the first time in a couple hours. Aeris frowned at him.

“Because you’re grounded,” she pointed out, and Sans grinned briefly at that before he looked away from her again. Rolling her eyes, Aeris continued, “So pick something else, Papyrus. It could be another movie, or a game you wanna play—anything.”

Papyrus’ eye sockets began to shine at that. “Anything…?”

Aeris eyed him warily. Should she be worried right now?

“Sure?” She allowed anyway, and Papyrus jumped up, zooming over to the Christmas tree in the corner of the room.

“Let’s open our presents, then!” Papyrus insisted, rattling the present he currently held. He looked so excited that Aeris had to press her fingers over her mouth to keep from giggling out loud.

“Christmas ain’t for another three days, Pap,” Sans reminded his brother, sounding more amused than he should. “Santa hasn’t gotten a chance to deliver ‘em all yet.”

“I can wait for Santa’s presents! I’m not _that_ impatient!” Papyrus scoffed as he rattled another present. “But I want to open ours now!”

“Mine aren’t here, though,” Aeris pointed out, frowning a little at the thought. Sure, she didn’t mind watching the skeleton brothers open up their gifts to each other, but since she knew Papyrus had gotten her something, she’d feel terrible opening it, knowing she had nothing to give in return at the moment.

Papyrus frowned at her. He turned and picked up a small package and a wide package, which he turned around and presented to her. “Aren’t these from you? Your name’s on the ‘from’ tag…”

Aeris stared. They _were_ her presents; she recognized the wrapping paper. That was so weird—she couldn’t recall bringing them here at all.

But then, if _she_ didn’t bring them, how else had they gotten under the tree?

She glanced over at Sans, who was watching her. He shrugged.

“Don’t look at me.”

Aeris frowned. Huh. Her memory about the whole thing was fuzzy. How strange…

“Can I go first?” Papyrus pleaded, and he looked so excited that everything else was knocked to the backburner of Aeris’ mind. She smiled, tucking her legs underneath her.

“Sure, Papyrus. But open Sans’ gift first,” she insisted, not wanting her gift to take precedence over family. Looking as giddy as…well, as a kid on Christmas, Papyrus tore into his gift from Sans at once. Aeris muffled her giggles, noting that Christmas might be the only time that Papyrus didn’t actually bother to be neat.

“Wowie!!” He exclaimed, revealing a miniature figurine of himself. “So cool!!!”

“Figured it was a shame the Great Papyrus didn’t have his own action figure,” Sans said casually, but Aeris could tell that he was pleased with Papyrus’ reaction. “Merry early Christmas, bro.”

“Thanks, Sans! I love it!!” He set the Papyrus action figure down and admired it for a while. Aeris grinned at the jubilation on his face; whatever she wanted to say about Sans at the moment, she couldn’t deny that he was an excellent brother.

She gave a start when Papyrus’ gaze suddenly shifted to her.

“Oops! Sorry, Princess, I almost forgot about your gift…”

“It’s okay,” Aeris assured him with a grin. Still, Papyrus turned immediately to the two gifts that had inexplicably appeared from her under the three.

“Which one’s mine?”

“The big one,” Aeris said with a half-glance at Sans. She could’ve sworn he was just looking at her, but when she checked, his gaze was firmly fixed on Papyrus as he opened Aeris’ gift.

As soon as the wrapping was off the present, it seemed Papyrus could only stare at it for a moment, his jaw falling open in surprise.

“Oh. My. God,” he breathed, and Aeris grinned as he held up her present to get a better look. “It’s a spaghetti cook book!!!”

“I picked it up in Italy,” she told him as he began to flip rapidly through the pages, his eye sockets threatening to bug out of his skull. “My mom finally sent my stuff to me, so I was able to get it wrapped in time for Christmas. It’s, uh, kind of a kid’s cook book, but I thought you might like it—”

“There’s a fluffy bunny mascot on every page!! And he’s in a little chef coat and a little chef hat!!” Papyrus clutched the book to his chest, tears beginning to shine in his eye sockets. “I _love_ it, Princess! Thank you!!!”

Aeris couldn’t help but giggle at his enthusiasm. “You’re welcome. Merry Christmas, Papyrus.”

Papyrus gave a great sniff, drying his eye sockets with the corner of his gloves.

“Well…I don’t know if my gift is enough, now.”

“I’m sure it’s fine, Papyrus,” Aeris insisted with a smile, “but let Sans open his next. Family first.”

Sans gave a lazy shrug. “I don’t really care—” he began, but Papyrus was already dragging the largest gift from under the tree over to Sans.

“Ta-daaaah!” He cried, gesturing to the heavily wrapped present. “I saw it when I was out with Mettaton one day, and it _immediately_ made me think of you!”

Aeris watched curiously as Sans bothered to get up from the couch, grinning at the wrapping job Papyrus had done.

“Thanks, bro,” he said, glancing up at the tall skeleton brother, “but you didn’t have to get me a whole ball of wrapping paper.”

“There’s a present _inside_ the wrapping paper!” Papyrus insisted, looking angry and embarrassed. “I just, er, maybe got a little carried away with wrapping it!”

“Nah, it looks just fine the way it is,” Sans insisted, his shit-eating grin in place. “Outta ten points, I’d _gift_ ya an eleven, bro.”

“SANS!” Papyrus shouted, too busy stomping his foot to notice Aeris hastily arranging her face to hide the smile, “just open it!!!”

Sans gave a shrug, circling the present. Once he finally found a patch that wasn’t completely covered in tape, he gave a tug, peeling away the wrapping at his own pace, despite Papyrus’ impatient huffs. Once he had finally gotten enough wrapping paper off the gift to see what it was, Aeris’ jaw dropped.

“A karaoke machine?”

Papyrus grinned victoriously. “Yes!” Sans is actually very good at singing! So, I figured this will give him something to do other than lazing around all day!”

Aeris gaped at Sans, who wouldn’t meet her eyes. He blushed harder the longer she stared.

“You sing?” She questioned, intrigue beginning to overtake her irritation with him. Sans glanced at her and then away, shifting uncomfortably as he flopped back onto the couch.

“It was one time. Grillbz was having a thing at his bar, and Papyrus dragged me on stage.”

“Oh come on, you had fun, too!” Papyrus leaned over to Aeris, not-quite whispering behind his hand, “I have a recording that I can show you later! Audible wink.”

Sans’ skull snapped up, giving his brother a betrayed look. “You said you deleted it!”

“I did! But Toriel didn’t! Nyeh heh heh…”

Aeris was tempted to interrupt present time; she wanted to see the phenomenon that was Sans singing for herself. Papyrus, however, clearly had other plans: before Aeris could say anything, he had dropped her gift meant for Sans into said skeleton’s lap.

“There you go, Brother! From Princess!” Papyrus declared, looking as excited as if the present was meant for him. “Go on, open it!”

Aeris watched as Sans delicately picked up her gift to him, turning the small box over in his hands.

“What is it?” He asked, chancing a glance at her. Aeris shrugged.

“It’s no karaoke machine,” she said, grinning at the way Papyrus shifted a guilty look over at her, as if he felt bad for getting the better present.

Sans unwrapped this present a little more carefully, perhaps because the wrapping on this one wasn’t as chaotic. A plain black box was left in his hands, and Aeris watched, biting her lip as he tugged the top off.

“…They’re gloves,” he said after a moment, the words sounding like he meant to be unimpressed. But Aeris hid a smile at the astonishment in his gaze as he lifted the gloves, revealing their astral design.

“Space gloves,” she bothered to correct, watching as Sans inspected every inch of the gloves, taking in the different constellations and colors in the design. “I thought about a telescope, but I figured you probably already have one of those. And this way, you can kind of carry the galaxy around in your hands.”

“Oooh! Good gift, Princess!” Papyrus enthused, giving her a big thumbs up. “Sans _loves_ space!”

“I know,” Aeris assured him softly, her gaze shifting back to Sans, who was pulling on the gloves. They were fingerless, leaving his phalanges free, and he flexed them as he stared down at his now-gloved hands. Aeris leaned over, trying to read his expression, but she couldn’t get much out of it other than awe. She was going to assume that he really liked the gloves.

“Do they fit okay?” She asked, though she knew they must, since they stretched to accommodate most hand sizes. Aeris just wanted to give Sans a reason to look up and speak to her.

He did, glancing over at her, wonder still in his gaze…and a bit of something else…but he looked away before Aeris could decipher it, making her pout a little.

“They’re perfect,” he replied to her question, the undercurrent to his voice making her blush. In a quieter voice, he added, “thank you.”

Aeris smiled, the uneasiness between them almost forgotten. Almost.

“Your turn, Princess!” Papyrus announced, and he dropped a present into Aeris’ lap, making her jump in surprise. “That one’s from me!”

“Is it a scarf?” Aeris asked teasingly, grinning up at him as she unwrapped the gift. Papyrus hung his head.

“Yes,” he admitted just as Aeris completely unraveled the wrapping paper, revealing a large, knitted yellow scarf made out of the softest material she had ever felt. As her fingers dug into the plush fabric, Papyrus continued, “I tried to find you something else, but I didn’t like anything else that I saw! And I had already personalized the scarf after I bought it, so it seemed pointless to take it back!”

“Personalized?” Aeris asked, picking up the scarf. As soon as she did, she saw what he meant—across the bottom of one end of the scarf, her name was meticulously stitched into the fabric. Instead of her last name written out, however, there was a stitching of a crown. Aeris’ fingers trailed over the stitching, affection for the tall skeleton brother beginning to swell within her. “…I didn’t know you could sew, Papyrus.”

“Sans taught me!” Papyrus proclaimed proudly, and Aeris peeked at Sans just in time to see him glance away from her again. “It took me a couple tries to get it right; I had to practice on a bunch of non-gift scarves first before I finally got it!”

Aeris wove the scarf around her neck. It was oversized, but she loved it. She burrowed her face into it, relishing in the soft material once again.

“So warm,” she sighed in content.

“Nyeh heh…I almost gave it to you yesterday, since you were so cold,” Papyrus admitted, blushing and rubbing the back of his skull. “Do you…really like it?”

Aeris got up from the couch to embrace the tall skeleton brother. “I love it. Thank you,” she assured him, pulling back to smile at him. “I’m never taking it off.”

“Never? Wowie, that’s a long time! But you have to machine wash it, Princess! If you wear it in the shower, it’ll shrink!”

“Says the guy who wears his battle body in the shower,” Aeris heard Sans mutter from his corner of the couch. She hastily disengaged herself from Papyrus, who posed heroically.

“You’re just jealous because you didn’t think of it first!” Papyrus said as Aeris giggled behind her scarf. She resumed her seat, about to suggest that they plug in the karaoke machine and get some use out of it…but Papyrus surprised her once again with another present drop to her lap.

“And that…” the tall skeleton brother paused dramatically, “…is from Sans!”

Aeris lifted her gaze to the short skeleton brother, who was staring down at his lap, his skull blushing blue.

“…You got me something?” She asked, mildly surprised, though she suspected Papyrus might’ve had something to do with it. Sans shifted on the couch, looking anywhere but at her.

“It’s nothing big,” he prefaced as Aeris began to unwrap the gift, “just…somethin’ that made me think of you.”

Aeris removed all the wrapping paper, revealing a small black box not unlike the one she’d packaged Sans’ gloves in. She carefully slipped the top off the box…and stared.

“…Oh,” she muttered, surprised. Nestled in the box was the most beautiful hair clip she’d ever seen—the base was silver, splitting off into three separate flowers, bunched together at the end of the clip. The flowers, Aeris realized with another jolt, were lilies, painted yellow, white, and pink, respectively. With trembling fingers, Aeris removed the clip from its box, and let it sit in her hands as she stared down at it, wordless. Silence crept into the room as the skeleton brothers waited for further reaction from Aeris. But, for the moment, she was speechless.

“…Sorry if it looks weird,” Sans eventually grumbled, and Aeris felt his gaze on her face as she stared down at the hair clip. “I wanted it custom-made. The place I bought it from had hair clips like it in gold…but…” The confusion she sometimes saw in Sans’ gaze slipped into his tone now, “somethin’ told me you wouldn’t like anything with gold in it.” He fell silent as Aeris carefully replaced the hair clip in its box, and then turned to face him. Worry crossed his skull as she stared at him. “I can take it back if you don’t like—”

Aeris crossed the couch, her hands sliding across Sans’ cheekbones as she leaned over, firmly pressing her lips to his teeth. Sans froze, the rest of his sentence seemingly forgotten as she kissed him.

“…Thank you,” she said after a moment, pulling back to give Sans a serious look. “I love it.”

Sans only gazed up at her, flushed deep blue; it seemed to be his turn to be at a loss for words. They stared at each other for a moment, before a clearing of a throat had them jumping in surprise; once again, Aeris had forgotten Papyrus’ existence.

“Well!” Papyrus said, looking pleased for some reason as he began to march to the stairs, “I’m going to call Mettaton to tell him about all the cool gifts I got! I’ll be on the phone for a while, so please don’t bother me!”

Aeris bit her lip to keep from laughing. Though she didn’t doubt Papyrus could turn the two gifts he’d gotten into a two-hour conversation for anyone, she was quite sure this was his not-so-subtle way of giving her and Sans space. As his door slammed shut, Aeris relinquished her hold on Sans, sliding a little away to give him room. He seemed to appreciate it, letting out a slow breath as he stared at the floor, his skull still blue. Neither of them said anything for a long moment.

“So,” Aeris began at last, tugging on a strand of her hair as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, “are you going to explain why you were being so weird earlier?”

Sans gave a huff, rubbing the back of his skull.

“Do we have to get into this now?”

“Yes,” Aeris insisted, turning to him now, her expression solemn. “Because, before this morning, everything seemed to be fine. But then you came in all huffy, throwing around your mixed signals again, and I’m sick of it. We’re both adults, Sans. We should be able to talk this out.”

She watched as Sans closed his eye sockets.

“…Fine,” he allowed with a sigh. “Then I have a question for you.”

A chill went down Aeris’ spine when Sans looked at her—his eye sockets were empty of light. She hated it when he did that. It made him look soulless.

“You keep saying you love me,” he began, his judgment stare intense on her, “but is that true? Do you actually love me? …Or are you just in love with your memory of me?”

Aeris felt her eyes widen as she stared at him. …He didn’t… _seriously_ just ask her that…did he?

“…Are you crazy?” She asked him, the offense she felt at the accusation leaking into her tone. “Do you honestly believe that I’m just sticking around for a _memory?_ ”

“You got awfully excited when I mentioned that I might’ve remembered something this morning,” Sans pointed out. Aeris scowled.

“What, I’m not allowed to be happy about that? Is it also a problem for me to be sad that you forgot me in the first place?”

“Look, Sweetheart,” Sans began, and Aeris glared at him. He paused, then rephrased, “…Aeris. I need to know the truth: do you want to be with me because you want to be with _me_ , as I am now? Or are you just waiting for my memory of you to come back?”

He was serious. He was actually asking her this. The fact that he even felt the need to ask made Aeris’ blood boil, and she seriously considered slapping him. Her hand even raised a bit, but she seized it with her free hand, as if her rational side and her furious side were arguing with each other, fighting for control of her body. She got up, striding away from him to keep the temptation of striking him at bay. The deep breaths Aeris forced herself to take to calm down didn’t help, and she folded her arms around herself, her back to Sans.

“…So you think this was all a part of some hidden agenda? That I’ve just been toying with your emotions to sway your memory back? Because if that’s what you think has been happening…” Aeris closed her eyes, the words hurting her even as she thought them. But they needed to be said. If Sans actually believed she was that cruel of a person…

“…Then we shouldn’t be together at all,” she concluded darkly.

Silence followed her conclusion, prickly and unpleasant. Aeris didn’t dare look at Sans, to see what kind of expression he was making. If he was crushed by her words, then she didn’t want to look at him, because such an expression would make her anger crumble to pieces. But if he was just fine with her conclusion, then she didn’t want to see the relief on his face, either—that would break her in a completely different way. So she just waited, giving him her back, praying with all her might that he would re-think this, for him to realize that he couldn’t possibly believe that she was so horrible a person…

There was a shift, and the groaning of the couch springs. Sans had apparently stood up. Aeris waited still, her nerves tingling, wondering if he was going to approach her, to hold her and assure her that he would never think so little of her—

“If that’s what you want, Princess.”

Aeris froze.

He was just accepting the situation. No, not accepting—

Sans was giving up.

She whirled around, intending to either scream at him or hug him, she didn’t know yet—but he was gone. No trace of him was in the living room.

Aeris wanted to scream. She wanted to throw things. She wanted to take that hair clip he’d gotten her and shatter it against the wall. She snatched up the box, taking aim at the window instead, her arm cocked back, ready to let the stupid trinket fly.

But she didn’t throw it. She didn’t do any of the things she wanted to do. Instead, Aeris curled in on herself, clutching the box to her chest as she let out a sob. One step forward, only to get knocked ten steps back. It was horrible.

Was this too hard? Was Aeris fighting a losing battle, trying to hold onto Sans when he clearly believed she was only in it in the hopes that he would remember her as time went on?

And now, a troubling worry occurred to Aeris, speaking in Sans’ voice: _Was_ she only with him for the memory of him, instead of Sans himself?

As Aeris began to doubt herself, she cried harder, kneeling on the floor because her legs refused to support her when she was so heavy with grief. Her near-death experiences were nothing compared to this. At least with those, there was the chance of it all ending, the thought mildly relieving when she was at her worst. But this…this was never-ending torture, a twisted back-and-forth game she had been unwillingly dragged into with Sans. Everything was so good last night—they had finally gotten a chance to talk, and she thought he was finally okay with the idea of being with her, with how desperately he held her, crying out her name in the heat of passion…why did everything have to fall apart like this?

Aeris buried her fingers in her hair, her shuddering gasps now so different from the night before, her heart threatening to shatter into thousands of shards, which would embed themselves in her insides like shrapnel, tearing her apart from the inside out. It hurt. It hurt so much.

There was the sound of a door opening upstairs. Aeris, unable to help herself, looked up, praying for it to be Sans emerging from his room, willing to talk this out with her.

But instead, it was Papyrus.

“…Princess?” He asked uncertainly, making his way down the stairs as Aeris ducked her head, tears falling onto the box in her lap that contained the hair clip. “What happened? Is everything all right?”

“…No,” she said, her voice thick with tears, her arms folding around herself for insubstantial comfort. “Everything’s not all right, Papyrus.”

Papyrus seemed at a loss for words. Aeris heard his jaw clatter a few times, as if he was on the verge of speech, but then decided against it at the last moment. Aeris didn’t pressure him to say anything, though she couldn’t take the silence and the sound of her own grief. She shivered, and suddenly, Papyrus was there, wrapping his arms around her, like the big brother she always missed.

“There, there,” he said softly, patting her back as Aeris allowed herself to be held, crying into her new scarf. “It’ll be okay.”

It was a lie. It was a kind lie, but still a lie.

Sans had given up trying to be with her. Nothing would be okay for a long time.

If the way Aeris was feeling right now was any indication, nothing would be okay ever again.

 

* * *

 

Sans returned late that night. He got yelled at by Papyrus for going out again while he was grounded and without letting anyone know where he was going, so now he was double-grounded, and Papyrus sent him off to his room with a smaller than usual plate of spaghetti (apparently Papyrus couldn’t take the thought of sending his brother to bed without _any_ dinner, no matter how angry he was.) Sans sat in his room, mechanically eating the spaghetti, which was actually really good this time around. He wondered if his brother had tried one of the recipes from his new cook book for tonight’s dinner.

Aeris wasn’t around when Sans came back, mercifully. By the sounds of it, she was in the shower while he was being scolded by Papyrus, and knowing she was naked a few rooms away from him made it harder for Sans to concentrate on Papyrus’ reprimanding. It was a relief to be sent to his room at last, where he could be alone and resume his thinking as he aimlessly wandered through the piled up snow, uncaring of the fact that he had to carve paths through it, too heavy for the snow to support him all by itself.

Sans’ feelings at the moment, he felt, could be represented a tightly wound and very tangled ball of string surrounding his heart—no matter which way he tugged to get free, the ball just got tighter, squeezing his heart so tight that he felt it might burst at any minute. The gist of it was that he was deep in his self-loathing at the moment: he had suspected his dismissal of Aeris’ feelings earlier made her cry, but it was made twice as worse when Papyrus confirmed as much as he yelled at Sans.

_“SHE’S BEEN CRYING ALL DAY, SANS! HOW DARE YOU SAY WHATEVER YOU SAID TO HER AND JUST LEAVE LIKE IT’S NO BIG DEAL! TOMORROW, YOU WILL APOLOGIZE TO HER, AND YOU TWO WILL MAKE UP IF IT’S THE LAST THING THAT I DO!!!”_

Sans smirked weakly at this. When he demanded answers from Papyrus when Aeris had first reappeared, his brother had sheepishly admitted to having a crush on her before he stepped aside to let Sans have her. Therefore, Sans found it ironic that his brother was pushing so much for him to get back together with Aeris, as if his life depended on it. After all, if Papyrus still had feelings for Aeris, this was his chance, wasn’t it? Things might as well be over between Sans and her, so if Papyrus wanted to swoop in and claim her for himself, now was the perfect time, since Aeris apparently was vulnerable and needed a shoulder to cry on…the shoulder of Sans’ infinitely better-than-him brother…

Sans huffed, flopping back on his bed. The point of his walk outside was supposed to be to get Aeris out of his head. He was now realizing that it was an impossible task—somehow, she had become so much a part of him that no matter what he did, he couldn’t be rid of her completely. And the feelings on that merely added to the impossibly tangled ball of string, so much that it might as well become a _loom_ of impossibly tangled string, with the way it was hanging over him…

…Oh god, that joke sucked. He was really off his game tonight.

‘ _Whatever,_ ’ Sans thought to himself, grumbling under his breath as he rolled over and curled up into a ball, clutching his bed sheets to himself. He was so tired of thinking about her. He was so tired of thinking, period. Would it be too much to ask for just a few hours of peaceful, dreamless, Aeris-less sleep, for once?

The last thing Sans saw were his new galaxy gloves before his eye sockets shut, the little stars reminding him of Aeris’ eyes, and how they must look because of all the tears she must’ve shed because of him today…

His dream was strange. While he usually dreamed in such clarity it was scary, this dream was fuzzy, as if he was sort of picking up a channel he wasn’t supposed to be picking up on his TV. Everything was muffled—lousy TV speakers, too—and the colors were muted, and, for some reason, he was watching a couple in white tuxedos waltz around on the dance floor…?

And Aeris was there, beside him. And she was in tears.

_“Ya gotta stop with the waterworks, Princess,” he said gruffly, withdrawing a handkerchief that came with his suit from a pocket and handing it to her. “I’m gonna start thinkin’ you’re not having a good time with me.”_

_Aeris laughed a little at that, dabbing at her eyes, her make-up still perfect despite all the tears she’d shed that day._

_“It’s not you,” she assured him with a sniff, giving him a small smile. “It’s just touching to see two people so in love.”_

_Sans glanced away from her, suddenly embarrassed. Why was it that he couldn’t help but blush whenever she said the word “love” lately? It was getting to be a problem._

_“Good thing it’s not your own wedding, then. You’d probably be a fountain of tears,” Sans said without really thinking about it. His blush deepened when he realized how stupid the words he’d just spouted were, but Aeris just laughed._

_“Maybe,” she allowed, grinning a little. Sans watched her as her eyes returned to the dancing couple, looking almost wistful. He fidgeted, glancing between her and the dancing guards, tugging at his bow tie. He’d never know unless he asked, right? But still, just the thought of asking was beginning to make him sweat…_

_“D’you—I mean—” He avoided Aeris’ curious gaze as she looked over at him, and cleared his throat. “Is this…something you want? The big wedding, the white dress and stuff? ‘Cause, if it is, I mean, I’ve already got a suit…”_

_Holy shit, was he really asking her this right now? Sans could feel himself beginning to sweat profusely, and his skull was way too hot for his comfort. What was he thinking? He hadn’t even told her he loved her yet, and now, he was suddenly proposing?! What was wrong with him??_

_Aeris reached over and took his hand._

_“Sans,” she said softly, and waited. The short skeleton looked over at her, noting that the smile she aimed at him was more than a little sad. “You don’t have to give me the moon, you know,” she quietly pointed out._

_Sans grinned a little. “Who said anything about the moon? Though, I have to admit, we do share similarities—”_

_The puns he was about to spout were stopped when Aeris leaned in and kissed his cheekbone. He flushed dark blue, his jaw snapping shut. Aeris grinned._

_“You know what I mean,” she told him with a pointed look, giving his hand a squeeze. “I may be dying, but I’m not a ‘bucket list’ type of girl. I prefer to just live in the moment. Can we do that? Just live in the moment?”_

The dream changed. Abruptly, Sans was in a place he vaguely recognized, though he didn’t frequent it often—Asgore’s garden. Again, Aeris was beside him, crouching in front of a bush full of roses. And again, she was in tears.

_“…Because I don’t **want** to die,” she snapped, frowning at him as a river of tears began to cascade down her cheeks. “I want to **live**. Is that so wrong? To want to keep my life, no matter how meaningless it is? Even if it would be easier to just end it—to just pass out in the snow or jump off a cliff—is it wrong of me to want to keep living? Is it selfish? Am I a bad person because I want to live so badly?”_

_Sans didn’t have a response ready for that. He supposed he spoke without thinking, saying that Aeris just should’ve died when she had the opportunity. He had made the assumption that she had already given up, that she had accepted her fate…but he was wrong. Aeris wasn’t giving up. She wanted to cling to what she had left of her life, no matter how short a time that might be. Her will to live hadn’t diminished in the slightest._

_Human determination sure was something._

Sans jerked awake, sitting upright and staring, startled, into his dark room. He could feel his power flaring, and he made himself breathe. He put his skull in his hands and squeezed his eye sockets shut, willing himself to calm down.

Again. As if his subconscious wanted him to suffer, Sans had dreamed about her again. And it was like the one he had last night, after he’d finally fallen asleep in Aeris’ arms—fuzzy and disorienting, confused, as if…

As if it was a forgotten memory.

Sans forced himself to breathe deeper, trying to even out his shallow panting. What did this mean? Were they really memories? And if they were, why now? Why were they coming back to him _now?_

Did this mean that they really weren’t lost, and just repressed, like Dante believed? Did it mean that Aeris hadn’t actually meant to trigger the dream memories he had last night? Did it mean Sans had wrongfully accused her of using him to get what she wanted?

Did it mean that he, even without the memories, really was every bit in love with her as he thought he was?

Sans opened his eye sockets, staring down at his bed.

It was true. It didn’t matter that the memories were coming back now, because he already loved her. He was in love with Aeris, someone who was almost a complete stranger to him. But that didn’t seem to matter, because he _knew_ her. Deep in his soul, he knew her, loved her, ached for her so badly that he was beginning to wonder how the hell he ever managed to sleep without her…

And he had hurt her so much by accusing her of just being in love with his memory rather than him.

Sans got off his bed, kicking himself free of the sheets. This was not right. He didn’t want things between him and Aeris to end just as they were beginning again. He had to fix this. Even if it took all night, he had to fix this. He would not lose Aeris. Not again.

Sans rushed to his door and pulled it open, hoping with all his might that Aeris wouldn’t cuss him out for waking her in the middle of the night—

He froze. Aeris was right there, standing outside his room. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and her hand was raised, as if she meant to knock. As Sans stared at her, she lowered her hand and glanced away from him, biting her lip. The charged silence settled between them.

“…I just wanted to…” Aeris began, but she trailed off, seeming at a loss for words. Her gaze shifted over, meeting and locking with his. The charge in the air dimmed…and then spiked.

Sans wasn’t sure who moved first; it happened too fast. One minute, they were just staring at each other. The next minute, they were kissing. A slammed door and several missing clothes later, Sans was inside her as Aeris panted and writhed underneath him, a hand lost in her dark hair as the other pressed over her mouth, muffling the noises she made as Sans drove into her, seized with a hunger he couldn’t satiate on his own. He leaned over her, his clavicle bones digging into the backs of Aeris’ thighs, pushing himself deeper into her. Aeris’ hand tightened over her mouth as her cries of passion grew louder; Sans had to drag her hand away to hear her properly, his hand closing over her wrist and holding it down.

“Ahhh!” Aeris moaned, her already flushed face growing redder as her voice escaped, joining the sound of the bedsprings squeaking, the loveliest harmony Sans had ever heard. “Hhh, ahh, S-s—”

“Say it,” Sans commanded, his voice a low growl, reacting to the way she tightened around him, “say my name.”

“Ahh, mmf, oh…S-Sans…”

Sans grit his teeth, his thrusts growing faster. Aeris’s voice reached a high-pitched whine.

“ _Louder,_ ” he insisted, the heady sound of Aeris’ voice addicting, driving him crazy with desire. He hit the spot deep inside her that he knew she liked, causing her back to arch.

“Ahaaah! Sans!” She cried, her hand freeing itself from her hair to tightly grip the sheets underneath her, “o-oh god, Sans! Don’t stop! Please, don’t stop!”

Sans didn’t need to be told twice. His thrusts grew faster, harder, his heat making him reckless. Aeris did not tell him once that he was hurting her; instead, she begged for more, gazing up at him with such a lustful face that Sans was surprised he had ever thought of her as innocent. Her free hand found its way to his rib cage, her fingers sliding through the grooves, clinging to him as if he would make a bid for freedom at any moment. Sans twitched at the contact, his need for her increasing two-fold, his tongue sliding out of his mouth as he panted. God, this felt…incredible? No, that wasn’t close enough—there was no way for Sans to describe how good this felt, especially since he was so used to anything intense being a bad thing. But this was as intense as he could get, and he was loving absolutely every minute of it, how soft Aeris’ skin was, the way she set him on fire with just a simple touch, the delicious moans she made when he was inside her and rubbed just the right spot—

“Sans!” Aeris cried again, her legs beginning to tremble. Despite his low energy, Sans kept his fevered pace, knowing Aeris was close, feeling the pressure build inside him as well, a stuttering moan escaping him as her fingers tightened on his rib cage.

“O-oh fuck…Aeris…” he panted, his bones beginning to rattle. “I’m gonna…I’m…nngh!”

“Ah!” Aeris shuddered as Sans convulsed, both of them trapped in their own spheres of bliss, riding the high from their orgasms to their finish. Sans collapsed against Aeris, closing his eye sockets as he panted, covered in sweat and utterly exhausted. Aeris let out a low groan, the sound rumbling through her chest, making Sans shiver. Oh god, her voice had the power to undo him just as much as her touch. It really wasn’t fair.

“…This was _not_ what I came up here for,” Aeris noted after a minute, the tone of her voice so wry that Sans had to chuckle. He sat up, the grin fading from his face as he looked down at Aeris. She had her eyes closed at the moment, a hand pressed against her forehead, her brows furrowed. She looked…guilty, as if this situation was entirely her fault. Sans snorted at that. As powerless as he seemed to be against her, it _definitely_ took two for something like this to happen.

Sans touched Aeris’ face, his thumb sweeping across the little freckles that dusted her cheek. She opened her eyes at the contact, glancing over at him. Worry began to bloom in the depths of her silver eyes, as well as something else…hurt. Sans sighed a little at that, knowing he had caused it. And yet, Aeris still slept with him. How odd.

“…I’m sorry,” he apologized, meaning it more than Aeris could ever know…even if she could see right through him. She peered up at him, her lips pressed together, like she wanted to smile.

“…For what? Specifically,” She asked, her lips curving as her eyes sparkled with something hidden, the way they often did when she seemed to be recalling something he couldn’t, like an inside joke he was missing. Sans frowned briefly at that, but forced himself to put it aside for the moment.

“For doubting you. And for accusing you of only wanting to be with me because of your memories of me. …And for making you cry,” he added, stroking her cheek again. Aeris’ face heated, and she glanced away from him, looking stubborn.

“I didn’t cry,” she insisted, her lips puckering. Sans laughed.

“You suck at lying, Princess. Besides, Pap already scolded me for makin’ you cry.”

Aeris sucked her teeth the way she always did when she was annoyed about something. Sans could’ve kicked himself. Of _course_ he was in love with her; now that she was here with him, it seemed painfully obvious. Why else would he pay such careful attention to her, picking up on these little habits of hers and cataloguing what they meant in his mind? He wasn’t _that_ meticulous when he observed other people…

“Speaking of Pap…” Sans trailed off, grinning at the way red flooded Aeris’ face, like she already knew what he was going to say, “he’s probably been traumatized by _you_ tonight, since _you_ were the loudmouth this time around.”

Aeris scowled at him. “I’ll just tell him to blame you, since you apparently like it when I’m loud.” Her eyelids lowered, and it was Sans’ turn to blush as she added in a low voice, “you really, _really_ like it when I’m loud.”

“Okay, okay,” he grumbled, with a huff. “So it was kinda my fault. I’ll admit it.”

Aeris smirked up at him. “Well, with any luck, Papyrus didn’t hear anything. He told me this morning that he fell asleep listening to a new CD Mettaton’s working on with these noise-cancelling headphones, so he didn’t hear you at all last night.”

Sans sighed, dragging a hand down his bony face. “Thank god.”

Aeris gave a giggle that managed to sound guilty as well as amused.

“Yeah, well, we should probably cool it with all the sex. I don’t want Papyrus to think he has to sleep every night with music blaring in his headphones just to avoid hearing us. It’s not fair to him.”

“True.” Sans paused, blinking a little in surprise. “…So, can I take the implication of future sex to mean that you’ve forgiven me?”

Aeris lifted a brow at him. “I had sex with you tonight before you even apologized. What does that tell you?”

Sans grinned. “Two things: that you really like to _bone_ me…” He waited for Aeris’ groan at his pun to die down before he added the second thing, “…and that you really do love me.”

Aeris stared up at him, a soft blush filling her face.

“No more doubts?” She wanted to check. Sans shook his head.

“No. In fact…I love you, too,” he confessed quietly. Aeris’ eyes widened a fraction of an inch, and her blush deepened.

“Sans, you don’t have to—”

“I’m not saying it because I have to,” Sans cut her off, anticipating her words. “I mean it. I may not fully remember you…but even so, I still know you. And I love you.”

Aeris closed her eyes, covering them with a hand. Sans discovered why when a tear rolled down her cheek a few seconds later.

“…You could’ve figured this out a few weeks ago, you know,” she told him, her voice steady, despite the tears. “Saved me the trouble of going to hell and back.”

Sans brushed the tears away, pressing a skeleton kiss to her cheek.

“I didn’t understand then. But I do now. Sorry.”

Aeris took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, her eyes still hidden by her hand.

“Say it again,” she commanded unexpectedly. Sans grinned a little.

“I love you,” he replied obediently.

“Again.”

“I love you.”

“More.”

“I love you, Aeris. I love you so, so much. You’re the queen of my heart. I couldn’t live without you. I—”

“All right,” Aeris grumbled, her hand slipping under Sans’ jaw to shut it for him. He grinned down at the embarrassed look she wore.

“ _Too cheesy?_ ” He signed, since she wouldn’t let go of his jaw. Aeris pouted at him.

“No. Just felt like you were mocking me,” she said. Sans moved her hand from under his jaw, pressing it to his face.

“You will never hear me joke about something like this, Aeris,” he assured her, his gaze serious as he stared down at her. “Nearly everything else is fair game…but me loving you will never be made into a joke. It already makes no sense on its own, trust me.”

“Thanks,” Aeris said, sarcasm in her tone and the eyebrow she raised at him. But before Sans could start apologizing for the perceived slight, she pulled him down to her, tenderly kissing him. “I love you, too,” she told him, bringing his forehead to rest against hers, her eyes closed. Sans let his eye sockets drift shut as well, relishing in the moment. Ah, peace at last.

They stayed that way for a while, and Sans was convinced they would fall asleep this way, but—

“So, when you said you don’t _fully_ remember me…”

Sans sighed. “That is a very long story, Princess.”

“I’m not tired,” Aeris insisted, sounding amused for some reason. Sans opened his eye sockets to frown down at her, which was hard, because she was adorable with that impish smile she gave him.

“Well, I am,” he asserted, and he flopped down next to Aeris, settling in for the night. “It’ll have to wait.”

Aeris rolled towards him, her arms sliding around his frame, her chin resting on top of his head. It was ridiculous how safe this made him feel.

“Until morning, then,” Aeris decided, and she giggled, mysteriously entertained once again. Weird human. “Good night, Sans.”

“Night,” Sans mumbled, listening as Aeris’ breath evened out, the thump of her heartbeat against his skull lulling him off to sleep.

Yes, it was a good night. Now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Squints at chapter*
> 
> Huh. I seem to have an easier time writing when it's Sans' point of view. 
> 
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> So, I feel like the NSFW scene flowed a little better this time around? Do I just need practice, or was it Sans' POV that made it flow better, do you think? (Or maybe it was just because I was able to write it straight through this time around, and it wasn't as long...?)
> 
> Let me know, guys. Also, sorry if the sudden POV switch confuses anyone; I just want to give you glances into both Sans' and Aeris' heads so you can have a full view of the madness they're going through. :P
> 
> Madness that I'm putting them through, but SHHH.
> 
> ~Reyna


	11. Mystery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite not much happening, this chapter ended up being usual length. Weird.
> 
> In any case, the story's about to wrap up. There's only one or two things left that I want to write, which means there will be two-three chapters left for me to post, and then the story's over.
> 
> That being said, if a cute idea comes to me for Aeris and Sans, I'll most likely add it here. But yeah, the main story's almost done, which astounds me, since ATS ended up being 22 chapters, and this one's capping off at a little over half that. :P Amazing.
> 
> Anyway, I'll save the gooeyness for a later chapter, though I do wanna thank you guys for sticking with me so far. I've had so much fun writing the sequel, and it pleases me to know that you guys enjoyed it, too~ Thanks for the love and support!
> 
> ~Reyna

“Okay…decorating pies at Tori’s house.”

“Did two of them say ‘happy birthday’?”

“One of ‘em said ‘happy’. I think you were workin’ on the ‘birthday’ part.”

“Memory.”

“Clobberin’ Mettaton with one of his own legs?”

“Ha. Dream.” The “you wish” was implied in Aeris’ tone.

“You yankin’ on one of Flowey’s petals and callin’ it a ‘sick, twisted weed’.”

Aeris frowned. “Memory,” she admitted, though now she wished she could take it back, after learning the truth about Flowey. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea for her to visit the flower and apologize…even if it would just spew vitriol at her the whole time. Maybe she should ask Frisk to chaperon the visit.

“Telling me I looked like the sky was falling.”

Aeris lifted her head from where it rested on her arm, peering up at Sans. He was gazing back at her, still wearing that look he’d been wearing all morning, like he couldn’t even believe someone like her existed. Smiling a little, she replied, “Memory.”

Sans closed his eye sockets at that. “So you’ve always been able to see through me,” he noted. Aeris grinned at the disgruntled note that slipped into his tone.

“More or less. You’ve managed to surprise me once or twice.”

“When?”

“Mmm…like the first time we fought.” Aeris frowned at the memory, and quickly moved on to a more pleasant one. “Or the first time you told me you loved me.”

Sans opened his eye sockets, staring at the ceiling, his skull flushing blue.

“…I think I actually remember that,” he admitted quietly, glancing down at her again. “Your puns threw me so off-guard that it just…slipped out.”

Aeris grinned. “And then, just when I was about to tell you that I loved you, too, Dante interrupted.”

Sans frowned at that. “Remind me to kick him the next time I see him.”

“Don’t do that,” Aeris scolded playfully, her fingertips tracing down Sans’ sternum. He rumbled in approval. “You have so few human friends already. And Dante’s a good guy.”

“Fine, I won’t kick the human. Killjoy,” he teased, one of his hands moving to cover Aeris’ before it could slip any further down his rib cage. “Okay, here’s another one: didja ever dress up like Mrs. Clause and tie a bow ‘round one of your legs, offering yourself to me like a present?”

Aeris flushed bright red at that. Oh dear.

“That _never_ happened,” she said, trying to keep her tone light even as Sans slowly grinned at her, “so I’m gonna have to say ‘dream’.”

The skeleton’s arms encircled her, pulling her closer to him.

“Doesn’t have to be just a dream,” he pointed out. Aeris burst into laughter, unable to help herself.

“You are not subtle at _all._ ”

“What’s the point in being subtle? If I’ve got a _bone_ to pick with someone, I’ll say it.” He grinned at Aeris. “In your case, it’s a pretty big bone.”

Aeris’ giggle turned to a sigh as Sans leaned forward, nibbling at her neck. Despite the fact that they had already had sex twice since waking up, Sans seemed insatiable, which was surprising, considering how lazy he usually was. She thought about teasing him about how he’d need a nap soon if he kept this up, but the words got lost on the way to her mouth as Sans’ tongue glided across her skin next. She shivered as his hands moved lower down her back, squeezing her skin—

There was a pounding at the door, causing both of them to jump.

“SANS! PRINCESS! COME LOOK AT THIS!!” Papyrus called through the door, and Aeris was eternally grateful that he hadn’t just barged in like he might’ve if Sans was in here by himself. Blushing furiously, the two of them scrambled for their clothes as quickly as they could, giving each other shifty grins.

“What’s up, Pap?” Sans wanted to know as he and Aeris exited his room, carefully not touching.

Papyrus was downstairs on the couch, the TV glowing in front of him. He turned and grinned at them, pointing at the screen.

“The snow’s being cleared away!” He declared excitedly. “Look—they’ve been working all night on it! Ice Wolf even pulled a double-shift! Well, it’s probably easy for him, of course, since he’s used to lugging around ice blocks all the time—”

Sans and Aeris sat down as Papyrus rambled, watching the news cast. Indeed, several of the larger and hotter monsters were doing something about the snow—Heats Flamesman looked like he was having a ball, rolling around and melting the snow wherever he touched, though he had to move away quickly when it became water. And Ice Wolf was indeed having the easiest time with the snow, though Aeris believed it was due in large part to that giant shovel he was toting around. The monster community was cheering them on, helping either with muscle power or refreshments, and they were making quick work of Monster Town. It was only a matter of time before they reached places out on the outskirts, like Alphys and Undyne’s lab, Toriel and Asgore’s home, and the skeleton brothers’ house…

Aeris felt herself deflate a little. As inconvenient as the snow had been two days ago, now she didn’t want it to go. Not if it meant having an excuse to spend all her time with Sans…

She glanced down at the short skeleton brother, noting the slight disappointment in his gaze as well as he peeked up at her. She shrugged, smiling a little. Oh well. Couldn’t be helped. Their mini-vacation had to end _sometime_ , didn’t it…?

“Very well!” Papyrus suddenly announced, apropos of nothing. Aeris and Sans just stared at him as he leapt from the couch, posing heroically. “Since everyone is doing their best, I, the GREAT Papyrus, must also do my best! I will acquire a shovel and spaghetti rations, and assist in the liberation effort! You two should help, too! It’s good to get _other_ kinds of exercise, you know! Nyeh heh heh!”

Aeris blushed at the implication as Papyrus rattled away, unable to come up with a single thing to say in her and Sans’ defense. After all, Papyrus did have a point.

“What do you think?” She asked Sans as he sank down into the couch. “Gonna help with the liberation effort?”

“Nah,” Sans replied, folding his hands behind his head as his eye sockets closed. “Too tired. I’ve had enough exercise for one day.”

“Lazybones,” Aeris teased, getting up from the couch. As she began to head to the kitchen to see if she could help with the spaghetti, she heard Sans call after her.

“I love you, too, Princess.”

Aeris flushed, pressing her hands to her face.

It really was a shame the liberation effort couldn’t take place just another day later…

 

* * *

 

“Stay one more night.”

“I have to go home _sometime._ ”

“‘Sometime’ doesn’t have to be tonight.”

Aeris grinned at Sans as she did up the buttons of her coat. “Aren’t you sick of me being around all the time yet?”

Sans untied the belt of her coat just as she finished knotting it.

“Move back in with us,” he requested suddenly, completely serious. This made Aeris blush. The offer was extremely tempting, she couldn’t lie. The past two days had been rocky, admittedly, but things could only get better from here, right?

…Still…

“I haven’t spoken to Reyna in forty-eight hours,” Aeris reminded him, retying her belt and taking a step back before Sans could undo it again. “She must be going out of her mind with worry.”

Sans scowled at the mention of Reyna. “Who cares about that she-devil?”

“I do,” Aeris reminded him, raising her eyebrows pointedly. “She’s my friend.”

“Hmph.”

Aeris leaned over, kissing Sans’ cheekbone, grinning at the way he still blushed at such a simple action. “Don’t be so stingy. We’ll have more time together, I promise. It’s okay to share me with other people, you know.”

“Don’t wanna,” Sans grumbled, his hand gripping the back of Aeris’ coat. If he had lips, he would’ve been pouting. Aeris giggled.

“I’ll see you soon,” she promised, disengaging herself from him. She stepped out of Sans’ room, calling as she headed down the stairs, “Papyrus, I’m leaving!”

“Oh! Hang on!!!”

There was a series of pounding from Papyrus’ room, and he appeared, bounding down the steps after Aeris.

“You sure you have to go already?” He questioned, giving her a sad puppy dog look that threatened to weaken her resolve almost as much as Sans’ pleading. “It’s been so much fun having you here again!”

“I need more than one set of clothes to wear, Papyrus,” Aeris pointed out, grinning a little as she crossed through the living room, heading for the now unblocked door. “I have to go home sometime.”

“Why does ‘sometime’ have to be tonight?” Papyrus questioned, and Aeris shot a look over at Sans, who leaned over the banister upstairs, staring at her. He gave a shrug and a lazy grin.

“Don’t look at me. I didn’t tell him to say that,” he insisted, though there was a mischievous glint in his gaze that Aeris wasn’t quite sure she believed. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she smiled, winding her new scarf around her and patting Papyrus’ shoulder. While it was true that she wanted to be able to wear more than the same sweater and jeans she’d been wearing for the past three days, she was also going home for Papyrus’ sake—it wasn’t fair to him to have to put up with Sans and her for the third night in a row, especially since they made an unacceptable amount of noise and apparently lacked the ability to keep their hands to themselves...Sans especially when Aeris got to cracking her knuckles, she had discovered. No, Aeris had to go home. Papyrus had already been too patient with them for her to stay one more night.

“I’ll visit again soon, I promise. But for now, I really have to go.”

“Oh…okay,” Papyrus sighed, relenting. As Aeris’ hand reached for the door knob, however, he suddenly cried, “OH!” and seized her wrist. “Wait a second!”

“Wha—” Aeris began, but Papyrus was too busy whipping out a pen to pay attention to her question. He splayed the palm of her hand out before him and began scribbling furiously against her skin, missing the winces that flashed through her face when the pen pressed a little too hard.

“There!” The tall skeleton brother declared proudly, capping his pen and gesturing to Aeris’ hand with a flourish. “You’re welcome, Princess!”

Aeris stared down at her hand. There were two sequences of numbers scrawled across it, the first one marked with an ‘S’, and the second one marked with a ‘P’. Aeris grinned at that.

“I’m guessing you want me to call you as soon as I get home?” She suggested in an offhand voice. Papyrus grinned, seemingly pleased that she had cottoned on so quickly.

“Yes, please! That way, we know you’ve gotten home safe, and we can pass along the message to everyone else until you get a new phone!” His grin becoming shifty, Papyrus added, “Just, er, call me first when you get home, okay? Then you can talk to Sans about…whatever…all you want! Nyeh heh…”

Aeris blushed once again at the implication in Papyrus’ voice. As much as it embarrassed her to have someone like Papyrus seemingly very aware of her sex life, she had no one to blame but herself, since she engaged in said sex life completely aware that the poor tall skeleton brother had to share a wall with Sans…

Hmm. As a matter of fact, she could blame Sans for that, too.

“Understood,” she assured him, afraid his description might get more graphic if he felt his meaning wasn’t clear enough. She shoved her hands in her pockets, making sure she had the box that contained the hair clip Sans got her in at least one of said pockets before she opened the door and stepped out into the frigid night. “All right, I’m going. I’ll call you two later.”

“Be safe, Princess!” Papyrus wished. Smiling, Aeris turned to go—but a hand on her arm stopped her. She turned back, finding Sans suddenly in the doorway, clutching her arm. The look he wore nearly made her willpower crumble to ash; he was gazing at her as if trying to memorize her face, as if this would be the last time he ever saw her.

“…Don’t go,” he pleaded, his voice quiet. The fear in his tone made Aeris sad; she leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.

“I’m not going far,” she promised, pulling back a little to look him in the eye socket. “But I do have to go.”

Sans stared at her, and she watched as he took in the determination on her face. He closed his eye sockets and was quiet for a long moment, his fingers clenched in the fabric of her coat.

“…Come back soon,” he implored her. Aeris smiled softly, her lips grazing his cheekbone.

“Only if you promise not to beg me to stay every time I come over,” she muttered to him. Sans grinned a little at that.

“I promise nothing,” he refuted. Aeris rolled her eyes and smiled, straightening up.

“Then I’ll see you later,” she replied, resisting the urge to put an emphasis on ‘later’ just to tease him. He looked like he was having a hard enough time letting her go already.

The walk home was…strange. Perhaps it was her surroundings: the snow was oddly ridged, having been plowed away by the Snow Relocation Team, as Papyrus had dubbed them when they came to move the snow from in front of the skeleton brothers’ house. Aeris giggled, remembering the tall skeleton brother’s determination to help them, which was so strong that he actually attempted to plow through the snow himself to help them from the outside…but all he did was cause a small avalanche of snow to pile on top of him instead, and he kept up an irritated rant about it the whole time Aeris and Sans worked to unearth him. Sans had invited everyone in for hot chocolate after they’d properly unblocked the door, and when the Snow Relocation Team moved on to Toriel and Asgore’s, Papyrus eagerly joined them. Aeris meant to help as well, but Sans had insisted they take advantage of the empty house, and, well, Aeris wasn’t exactly motivated to come up with a reason to refuse. Her face heated, remembering the afternoon as she pressed her cold hands to her cheeks. So much for having enough exercise for one day…sly, perverted, wonderful skeleton.

She let out a sigh, glancing up at the clear sky, the moon waxing, nearly full. It was a beautiful night for star-gazing…too bad Sans was double-grounded now. Aeris grinned at the thought.

The tree house finally came into view after a half-hour’s walk. Miraculously, it was completely devoid of snow—Aeris blamed magic. She carefully climbed the tree, clambered onto the stairs, and made her way up, trying to steel herself for the scolding she was surely about to receive at the hands of Reyna, wondering if she would be able to get a word in edgewise before the explosion that was her roommate’s wrath would go off. Probably not…this was going to be a long night…

Surprisingly, however, all the lights were off when Aeris pushed the door open. Ominous.

“…I’m home,” Aeris called, carefully stepping inside, as if she expected Reyna to pounce from the shadows. There was a whirring sound, and all the lights came on, the heat blasting immediately.

“Welcome home, Miss Aeris,” Kokoro spoke as Aeris shut the door behind her. “It has been a couple days. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Aeris assured the house, glancing around, still waiting for Reyna to sneak up on her. But nothing happened. “…Where’s Reyna, Kokoro?”

“It is Thursday,” the house reminded Aeris, “Reyna- _sama_ is at her support group meeting.”

Aeris blinked, frowning. She knew Reyna was usually off work on Thursdays, but she didn’t know that she _actually_ went to support group meetings… Aeris almost asked if Reyna was really a reforming serial killer…but then she decided she didn’t want to know that information if it turned out to be true. Ignorance was bliss for a reason, after all.

“All right, then,” she muttered to herself instead, moving down the hall. “Guess I’ll wait for her to kill me when she comes back.”

“Reyna- _sama_ would not harm you, Miss Aeris,” Kokoro assured her as Aeris stepped into her room, “she is quite fond of you.”

Aeris gave a noncommittal hum, selecting a fuzzy pair of pajama pants and a warm sweatshirt to change into. She supposed Kokoro would know better than her, but honestly, Aeris wasn’t ready to rule out the possibility—she had seen Reyna’s temper a couple of times first-hand, and it was terrifying. Hence, she always made sure to take note of Reyna’s pet peeves, because if she ever did anything to earn Reyna’s ire, she wanted to be sure it wasn’t over something stupid, like putting the milk carton back in the fridge with only a little milk left in it.

Relieved to be in an outfit that didn’t need to be washed right away after she was done wearing it, Aeris moved back into the living room, heading for the bookcase. She had finished the last book she’d been reading the last time she was here, smack dab in the middle of a series about a young necromancer and her band of supernatural friends as they fled from an evil organization that wanted to destroy them for being too powerful. Eager to find out what happened next, her fingertips brushed the spines of the books, searching for the series whose name she couldn’t quite remember—

Aeris stopped, her eyes widening as one title of a book in particular caught her eye.

“Kamasutra?” She muttered to herself, both embarrassed and amused by the discovery. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised she has books like these, but really…”

And yet, curiosity took hold as she gazed at the book. She only had a vague impression of what Kamasutra actually was, since, one, she grew up sheltered, and two, she’d never had any reason to take interest in it before. But now that she was actually having sex, the book suddenly felt a lot more relevant to her life.

Aeris glanced over her shoulder, feeling stupid right after she did. It wasn’t like anyone else was here—well, there was Kokoro, but the house was pretty good about minding its own business unless it was needed for something. And Aeris was a grown woman—she could read this stuff without being judged for it, right? Besides, it was Reyna’s book, so her roommate wouldn’t be allowed to kinkshame Aeris if she came home and caught her with such a book…though she would have a _lot_ of questions about why Aeris was suddenly interested in such a dirty book…

Aeris decided to risk it. Her face set with determination, she cautiously opened the book, intending to let it fall open to a random page. But something fluttered out of it, distracting her.

Uh-oh…Aeris hoped fervently it wasn’t bookmarking Reyna’s place; that was one of the things she was touchy about. Aeris quickly stooped over, snatching up the perceived bookmark and wondering if Kokoro could be bribed not to say anything about this unfortunate incident. When she flipped the item over, however, Aeris paused, her panic fading.

The item ended up being a picture. From the looks of it, it was a very old picture, appearing as if it was taken just when the camera had been invented. It depicted what looked like a busy street, in front of a brand-new looking building. There was something written on the window—the name of some sort of blacksmith shop?—but it was mostly blocked by the group of men standing in front of it, looking quite dapper and serious in their pin-striped suits and hats. Aeris stared at the photo, wondering what was so special about it that Reyna felt the need to keep it. Maybe she was researching blacksmith shops from the eighteen-hundreds?

Aeris shrugged, about to place the photograph back in the book and put it back like nothing ever happened, but an additional detail she hadn’t spotted right away made itself known to her with a second glance—there was someone else in the picture. Aeris didn’t see her at first because she was partially hidden from view, obscured by the glare on the shop window’s glass. But she was there, the blurred image of her suggesting she had been rushing elsewhere when the photo caught her image. Indeed, the eye that seemed to peer at the photographer from the side as she rushed by looked surprised, and a tiny bit annoyed.

Aeris stared. This…was a weird image. The woman in the picture was dressed in what looked like a maid’s uniform, her hair wild and curly as it came loose from its bun, fanned out behind her. But, as far as Aeris could tell…those were the only two differences between the woman in the photo…and Reyna as Aeris knew her now.

How odd.

“…Huh,” Aeris mumbled, pushing the Kamasutra book back onto the shelf and meandering over to the couch. She took a seat, eyes glued to the photo, and tried to make herself see more differences between this woman and Reyna. But it was hard; even though the image was blurry, the similarities between them were, well, uncanny. That was the exact same look Reyna wore when she was annoyed about something, and the more Aeris stared, the less she believed it must be Reyna’s great grandmother or something, and the more she was convinced that the woman in the photo and Reyna were one in the same.

But how was that even possible? There was no way this could be Reyna. The photo had to be two hundred years old, at least, and it was impossible for Reyna to be that old…

…But there were also a lot of things Reyna could do that couldn’t possibly occur under normal circumstances, and yet, she still made them happen. So, did the word ‘impossible’ actually apply to Reyna in any sense of the word?

Slowly, Aeris looked up, her gaze travelling down the hall, to the one room she’d never been in. Reyna was a pretty lax roommate to live with—since the house picked up after them, there were no fights about who left dishes in the sink or their clothes piled up in the laundry room. Reyna only had one rule, and she made that clear to Aeris the night she decided to move in with her: Reyna’s room was absolutely always off-limits. No matter the circumstance—natural disaster, robbery, hot guys—Aeris was not to go in Reyna’s room. Reyna was so adamant about this that she kept listing examples of things not to go into her room for, to the point that Aeris got irritable and had to cut her off before she lost her temper with Reyna. After all, she got it, she was not allowed in Reyna’s room, the woman clearly valued her privacy…

For the first time since she moved in, Aeris began to wonder why. After all, Reyna wasn’t exactly a private person. Sure, she could be cryptic at times, but private? Yeah, right—if Reyna was any more open, she’d walk around naked…something she assured Aeris she wouldn’t do anymore, after the first time. So why all the secrecy about her bedroom? What did she have to hide…?

Aeris got up, the photo held loosely in her hand as she stared at Reyna’s door. She wasn’t home right now…this was an ideal opportunity to find out the answers to her questions, wasn’t it?

As if in a trance, Aeris slowly made her way down the hall, pausing in front of Reyna’s door. Her heart was pounding quickly in her chest, the knowledge of what she was about to do making her nervous. Could she really invade Reyna’s privacy like this? She really did only have one rule, and it seemed like bad roommate etiquette to purposefully flout it…

‘ _But what about the photograph?_ ’ Aeris argued with herself, staring down at the door knob as if it were a grenade. ‘ _What if she has more of these in her room? It wouldn’t explain anything, but it would give me more ammo for my suspicions, wouldn’t it?_ ’

As her curiosity and guilt clashed against each other, Aeris reached out, her hand closing around the door knob.

“Miss Aeris,” Kokoro spoke suddenly, and Aeris jumped and cursed herself for forgetting that the house was sentient, “Reyna- _sama_ doesn’t like it when people go into her room without permission.”

“I just want to check something, Kokoro,” Aeris insisted, carefully turning the door knob to see if it was locked. Surprisingly, it wasn’t.

“Miss Aeris,” Kokoro said again, and its voice adopted a panicked tone, “Reyna- _sama_ will not be happy when she finds out you’ve been in her room.”

“She doesn’t have to find out,” Aeris pointed out, her eyes staring at the door as she slowly began to push it open, bit by bit. A sliver opened in between the door…then a crack… “If you’re worried about getting in trouble, Kokoro, I’ll take all the blame if I get caught. I just want to—”

“What are you doing?”

Aeris jumped, leaping away from Reyna’s door, as if it had electrocuted her. With wide eyes, she turned towards the living room, where Reyna was suddenly and inexplicably standing, staring at her. The front door swung shut quietly, and Aeris swallowed, unnerved by the fact that she hadn’t even heard Reyna come in.

“…Uh…” she began, scrambling for an excuse in her mind as she stared back at Reyna. Her roommate’s eyes were wide as she stared at her, but she didn’t look surprised at all, nor angry, even though that’s what Aeris expected. Reyna just looked a little…disturbed. As Aeris watched, Reyna’s right eye began to twitch. “Y-you’re home early, Reyna,” Aeris stalled, trying for a hesitant smile. “I-I wasn’t expecting you back until—”

“Plans change,” Reyna replied, taking a step forward. She let the bag she had slung over her shoulder drop to the floor, where it stayed, instead of floating off neatly somewhere. That didn’t seem like a good sign…Aeris wondered if Reyna had dismissed Kokoro because she didn’t want any witnesses. “You haven’t been home for a couple days, and Kokoro gets lonely, so I came home early…but here you are…”

Reyna closed her eyes for a moment, and Aeris wondered if she was trying to calm herself down. The relief she might’ve felt at such a gesture vanished a second later when Reyna’s eyes snapped back open: her irises were nothing but pinpricks of color in the whites of her eyes. The soul-shuddering smile Reyna sometimes wore when her eyes got like that did not make an appearance, however; Aeris had to wonder whether that was a good sign…or a very bad one.

“…What _are you **doing** …?_” Reyna asked again, her tone frightening as she took another step forward. Aeris felt her legs begin to shake, feeling very much like a foolish tiny bird locking gazes with a starving cat on the brink of madness. Not knowing what else to do, she held out the photo she found with a shaking hand.

“I-I-I found this,” she stammered, more frightened of Reyna now than she had ever been; she was beginning to see what the rest of her friends meant when they called her “creepy”, and wondered how she had missed this before now. “I-I didn’t understand what I was seeing, so I-I—”

“You lost your mind,” Reyna concluded, still staring at Aeris in that soul-chilling manner. “Clearly. Remind me: what was the _one_ rule I had about this house?”

“Never to go into your room, I know,” Aeris said hurriedly, wincing as her guilt stared her right in the face. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I never should’ve tried it, Kokoro even warned me, but this photo…it’s weird! How could you have been a maid in the eighteen-hundreds?”

Reyna paused in her slow approach. She blinked, and her eyes went back to normal.

“What?” She asked, and Aeris was so glad to hear her expressing a normal human emotion—confusion—that she nearly sank to the floor in relief.

“This photo I found,” She said again weakly, still holding the photo out for Reyna to see, even though there was no way she could possibly see it from so far away. “The woman in the shop—she looks just like you, doesn’t she?” (Aeris avoided asking “she _is_ you, isn’t she?” purely because she was afraid of how Reyna would react to such a declaration.)

Reyna frowned. She held her hand out, and the photo suddenly broke free of Aeris’ grasp, floating playfully through the air before it flew into Reyna’s waiting hand. Reyna stared down at the picture, and Aeris watched her face carefully for any changes, any flare of recognition—

Reyna’s expression shut down. Aeris blinked at that, but before she could question it, her roommate looked up, suddenly giving her a knowing grin.

“Where’d you find this?” She asked, her grin widening as Aeris began to blush. It was clear from her tone that Reyna already knew exactly where Aeris had found the photo, and Aeris was officially busted twice in one night. Well…Aeris would take humiliation over…whatever was about to happen with Reyna a minute ago. A chill went down her spine, as if her body knew it had just narrowly avoided something horrible.

“The, uh…Kamasutra book,” she admitted, shamefaced as Reyna cackled.

“Yeah?” Reyna asked, turning and heading over to the bookshelf. “And what were you doing leafing through my Kamasutra book, hun? Looking for…inspiration?”

Frowning, Aeris cautiously followed Reyna into the living room.

“Not exactly,” she admitted, settling onto the couch as Reyna pulled down the Kamasutra book, idly flipping through it as if it were a children’s picture book. “I was just…curious…”

As Aeris got the ominous feeling that she shouldn’t be saying that word around Reyna at the moment, her roommate’s eyes flickered to her, suddenly the same shade of violet they had been when Aeris first met her. Aeris stared, abruptly realizing that Reyna had apparently lied to her about using colored contacts.

“…Curiosity killed the cat, you know,” she said quietly, her eyes slowly fading back to brown as she glanced through the book. Aeris remained silent, watching as Reyna abruptly shut the book, replacing it on the shelf. She gave the photo in her grasp one more glance before she balled it up in her fist, opening it a moment later—the picture, instead of being balled up and ruined, had vanished into thin air. Reyna stared down at her empty palm for a moment, her eyes flickering back to Aeris next. Her expression was almost…brooding.

“You don’t need to know everything, Aeris,” Reyna warned her once again, uncharacteristically serious. “Trust me.”

Unable to say anything else, Aeris merely nodded. Perhaps it was better that Reyna be left a mystery after all…even if Aeris was convinced now more than ever that that photo was of Reyna herself, some way or another.

Reyna studied her for a moment. Then, she gave a sigh, flopping down next to Aeris, one of her arms slung around the back of the couch, her free hand squeezing Aeris’ shoulder.

“Don’t give me that ‘kitten-about-to-be-drowned’ look, okay?” She requested, giving Aeris an awkward smile. “We’re fine, all right? Don’t worry, you’re still my favorite person ever.”

Aeris laughed a little. “That’s a twisted analogy…but I’m glad. …I really am sorry I almost broke the only rule you had.”

Reyna nodded, seeming to accept the apology. “Just don’t try it again, and you’re fine.”

“I won’t,” Aeris promised solemnly; anything she had to do to keep that frightening expression of Reyna’s off her was fine with her. Reyna gave another nod, and a genuine smile spread across her face.

“So, you’ve been gone a couple days. And you didn’t call. If you hadn’t come home tonight, I was afraid I’d have to raze a couple towns looking for you.”

Aeris had carefully conditioned herself not to ask whether Reyna was serious or not when she said certain things; now was one of those times.

“I was snowed in at Sans’ and Papyrus’,” she explained, the faint blush that heated her cheeks growing exponentially as Reyna’s grin widened.

“Oh _really?_ ” She questioned in a tone that suggested she expected scandalous details to be shared at this time. “Hmm, you must’ve been having _so_ much fun, since you didn’t even bother to call.”

Aeris sighed at this. “I fell in the river Tuesday,” she bothered to tell Reyna, “so my phone kind of became useless after that.”

Understanding dawned on Reyna’s face. “Ohhh. Well then…” She got up, heading to the Christmas tree that was set up in the middle of the windows on the back wall. She rummaged under it for a moment, retrieved a package, and strolled back over to the couch, handing it to Aeris. “Merry early Christmas,” she wished, grinning at the startled look Aeris gave her.

“What’s with everyone wanting to open presents early this year?” Aeris wondered, but she was already pulling off the wrapping paper, as if resigned to her fate. It took her only a couple seconds to realize what she was unwrapping, and she gaped down at the box that contained, apparently, her brand new cell phone. “…How did you—?”

“Just a feeling,” Reyna answered before Aeris could finish the question. Aeris frowned at her.

“Seriously: how do you do that?” She questioned, staring at Reyna’s profile as her roommate snapped her fingers, cutting the TV on. “Is having a sixth sense part of your magic, or something?”

Reyna raised a brow, her gaze fixed on the TV. “What do you mean?”

“You know! Stuff like getting me a new cell phone before you knew I’d need it, and predicting I’d want lacy underwear because they’d be seen soon—how the hell do you do that?”

Reyna glanced over at Aeris. Aeris was ninety percent sure she’d tell her it was none of her business and tell her to back off again…but as she watched, a slow smirk spread across Reyna’s face.

“Are you saying you showed your underwear to someone in the last two days?” She teased. Aeris felt her face go red.

“You’re changing the subject,” she protested as Reyna turned towards her, giving Aeris her full attention. Reyna’s grin widened as she rested the side of her head on her fist.

“ _You’re_ changing the subject,” she insisted in return. “Come on, tell me—what happened that involved your underwear being shown? Don’t make me push you for details, girl.”

Aeris sighed. Clearly, she would not be getting any straight answers out of Reyna tonight.

But then again, what else was new?

“First of all, it’s not what you think…” Aeris began, launching into the tale of the snowball fight that went wrong. Reyna frowned in concern during that story, but her face lit up once Aeris described having to wear Sans’ jacket, and she cackled with delight as a red-faced Aeris explained how Papyrus had “helpfully” hung her clothes up to dry while he went out to hunt for dryer sheets. And when Aeris mumbled her explanation of giving in to Sans’ partially-confused but certainly passionate advances, Reyna stared at her with a mixture of awe, amusement, and smugness.

“So you boned the skelebae,” She surmised, saving Aeris from going into explicit detail. Her face was split into a wide grin, looking far too superior to be allowed. “And his memories started to come back?”

“Yeah,” Aeris replied, hands covering her flaming cheeks, “odd timing, huh?”

Reyna gave a shrug. “I guess. But damn do I give good advice,” she bragged, getting up from the couch and heading over to the kitchen. Aeris frowned after her. That’s right…it _was_ Reyna’s idea for Aeris to sleep with Sans, wasn’t it? Aeris had just found her ridiculous at the time—still did, in fact—but now, her suspicion was beginning to flare again. Here was another strange coincidence between something Reyna said or did and what happened to Aeris…and she was starting to disbelieve that every occurrence was just happenstance.

“…Reyna,” Aeris began, peering at her over the couch as her roommate rummaged through the fridge, retrieving what looked like a slice of chocolate cake. She dipped her finger into the frosting and licked it off as Aeris asked, “…You didn’t know this would happen…did you?”

Reyna raised a brow at Aeris again, waving her free hand; a fork zoomed out of the cutlery drawer and into her hand. She took a bite of the cake, still contemplating Aeris.

“How would I know that?” She asked once her mouth was empty. Aeris frowned at her roommate’s back as she turned back to the fridge, retrieving a carton of milk this time. Her fingers beckoned, and a glass floated down from its shelf to join her. As Reyna poured milk into her glass, she gave Aeris another look. “I may be magical, but it’s not like I can do _anything._ ”

“Like see the future?” Aeris suggested, watching Reyna’s face carefully for any tells. But Reyna only smiled.

“You’re letting your imagination get away from you there, hun,” she said, balancing her plate of cake in one hand and her glass of milk in the other, walking over to the hall. Her door opened automatically as she reached it, and Reyna spared a glance back at Aeris. “After all…I’m just a bartender.”

Giving a grin to the frustrated expression Aeris wore, Reyna disappeared into her room, the door shutting behind her with a click.

“‘Just a bartender’ my ass,” Aeris muttered under her breath, pouting as she glared at the TV. If Reyna was just a bartender, then Aeris was a dragon.

Aeris huffed, pushing her hair out of her face. Reyna’s voice floated through her head, as if she was still in the room:

_“You don’t need to know everything, Aeris. Trust me.”_

That was the second time she had said something like that. The first time, Aeris let it go, but now…she got the feeling that she had stumbled too close to a secret that was threatening to be revealed, and Reyna didn’t like it one bit. Again, Aeris wondered what Reyna had to hide. It couldn’t be worse than implying that she was a reforming serial killer, could it…?

As Aeris moved to push more hair out of her face, writing on her hand caught her attention. With a jolt, she realized she hadn’t called Sans and Papyrus yet, and guilt knocked her over like a tidal wave. Cursing under her breath, she hurriedly unwrapped her new cell phone—which was very nice—and impatiently waited for it to turn on. The battery was at seventy percent…Aeris hoped that would be enough to get through what was sure to be a ranting conversation with Papyrus on how she took forever to call…

“PRINCESS?!” Papyrus shouted as soon as Aeris dialed his number, “IS THIS YOU?!”

Guilt lanced through Aeris again at the panicked note in the tall skeleton brother’s voice.

“Yeah, it’s me, Papyrus. Sorry for taking so long to call.”

“YOU SURE DID!!!” Papyrus began to rant, just as Aeris suspected. “What took you so long?!”

“I had to wait for Reyna to come home. I was gonna use her phone, but, uh, she ended up getting me one for Christmas.”

“Wowie!!! That was nice of her! …But wait…how did she know you needed a new phone?”

Aeris snorted, shooting a glance over at Reyna’s door.

“If I ever figure that out, I’ll let you know, Papyrus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psh. Some people should just mind their own business. It's not like there's anything SUPER IMPORTANT going on here...
> 
> :D
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed!
> 
> ~Reyna


	12. Glad You Came

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S/o at me for already using the song reference as a chapter title in ATS that I wanted to use here. :P
> 
> That being said, the song lyrics I borrowed are from "Hello" by Adele, which I don't own in any sense of the word except for on iTunes, where I listen to it on repeat as I worship Adele for the musical goddess that she is.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> ~Reyna

Grillby’s II was ridiculously packed today.

Aeris blamed that on the holiday rush—Christmas had come and gone, and now, New Year’s was on its way, bringing with it thousands of party invitations. Aeris had to turn a few of them down and felt bad about having to do so, but she was dead set on spending New Year’s Eve with Sans, no matter how great anyone said their party was going to be. Mettaton’s concert was set for New Year’s Eve, and Papyrus would, of course, be attending that, so it would just be Aeris and Sans, all alone in his house…

That singular thought sustained Aeris through her busy shifts, leaving her gaze a little glazed, much to Burgerpants’ chagrin; he had to nudge her back to earth more than once for the next couple of days.

The jab he gave to her ribs was particularly painful on the day of New Year’s Eve, and Aeris hissed, shooting him a glare.

“Ow! Not so hard,” she protested, rubbing the spot where his elbow had dug in. “What’s your—”

“The customer at table four wants to see you,” Burgerpants cut her off. Aeris peered curiously at him. Burgerpants looked twitchier than usual.

“What’s got you all wound up?” She wanted to know, delivering empty dishes to the kitchen and picking up new orders. “I know we’re busy today, but there’s no need for you to look so stressed.”

“The customer at table four wants to see you,” Burgerpants repeated himself, taking the orders Aeris had just picked up from her. His smile threatened the end of his sanity as he added in an undertone, “The sooner you see him, the sooner he can _leave._ ”

Aeris raised an eyebrow. Odd…Burgerpants didn’t usually show such strong disdain towards anyone…except…

Oh no.

Aeris peeked out from the kitchen, her eyes seeking table four. Once she spotted it, her jaw dropped in horror.

Oh yes—there he was, in all his effeminate glory, sitting at table four as if it were a throne, his long legs crossed over the table and on full display. Mettaton.

“I’m not going over there,” Aeris decided immediately. If Mettaton had come here to seek her out, it couldn’t mean anything good.

Burgerpants pushed her from behind, out into the open.

“You _gotta_ go over there,” he hissed at her, blocking her entry into the kitchen and looking manic. “If you don’t go over there, he’s just gonna _stay_ here until you do! And I _can’t_ handle him, Aeris, I can’t! Just go see what he wants so he can leave! _Please!_ ”

Aeris glared at Burgerpants. It wasn’t as if she didn’t understand his feelings about Mettaton—she understood perfectly, in fact—but to just throw her to the sharks like this…

“…Ugh. Fine,” Aeris grumbled with a roll of her eyes. “But if anything goes wrong, I’m blaming you.”

Steeling herself with a deep breath, Aeris marched over to table four, where a crowd had gathered, monsters of all kinds jockeying for Mettaton’s autograph. And he was basking in the attention as always, signing everything that was shoved at him, whether it was used napkins or body parts.

“Here you go, darling! And here’s one for you as well, sweetie! And, oh yes, I didn’t forget about you, dear! And—Aeris!” Mettaton crowed, suddenly noticing Aeris as she stood at the edge of the crowd. “ _Just_ the human I wanted to see!”

Aeris hid her lack of enthusiasm of seeing him behind her customer service smile.

“Hello, Mettaton,” she greeted as the crowd parted, allowing her to get through. “How may I help you?”

“Why so formal, darling? Sit down, sit down! Let’s chat! I’m sorry, but this is a private conversation, so if you all wouldn’t mind? I’ll sign more autographs later, I swear it.”

There was a rumble of disappointment, but the crowd dispersed anyway, some of the monsters throwing Aeris jealous looks. This made her thoughts wry—if only they knew how much she wouldn’t mind trading right about now…

Once they were alone, Aeris was able to sit down. Mettaton moved his legs off the table and leaned forward, inspecting Aeris.

“So,” he said casually, “I have something I want to discuss with you, darling.”

Oh boy. That didn’t sound good.

“Okay?” Aeris replied, eyeing him warily. Mettaton glanced down at his hands, inspecting his non-existent nails.

“So, everyone who does not live under a rock knows that tonight is the night of my big concert,” he began, and Aeris fought valiantly against the urge to roll her eyes, “but what they don’t know…” He lowered his voice conspiratorially, “is that it will be my last concert for a while.”

Aeris stared. That…was unexpected.

“What?” She questioned, unsure of whether or not she had actually heard right. Mettaton nodded impressively.

“That’s right! I’ve been getting a little burnt out in this business. I need a vacation!”

“Weren’t you built for the sole purpose of being an entertainment robot?” Aeris pointed out with a quirked brow. Mettaton waved away her point dismissively.

“Details, details! The point _is_ , I would like to have a little more free time to pursue my other hobbies!”

“I thought _you_ were your only hobby,” Aeris muttered, but either Mettaton didn’t hear her, or he just chose to ignore her.

“That’s why tonight _must_ be a concert to remember! So we’re going all-out, and I _mean_ all-out, pulling out every stop we can! Which means that _you_ , Aeris, dear, must be there!”

Aeris stared at Mettaton. She hadn’t been expecting an invitation to the concert, nor did she want one; she had attended enough of the practices to know all the songs by heart now. Besides, what would her going to the concert accomplish?

“I don’t understand,” she had to admit, frowning at the robot. He gave a sigh, sweeping his hand across his face dramatically.

“Let’s face it, darling: I’m the star of the band! If I disappear, everyone will lose interest! And I don’t want that to happen to Blooky and Shyren! So, if I can give them a chance to show everyone what they can do all on their own, they’ll be just fine without me! Their careers could even skyrocket higher that ever! …Though, not as high as they would with me still _in_ the band, of course, but still!”

“I still don’t see where I come in,” Aeris said, admittedly thrown off-guard by the amount of thought Mettaton seemed to have put into this. She had assumed that he would just run off, expecting Shyren and Napstablook to pause their careers and wait for his return, but according to Mettaton, that was the opposite of what he wanted. In actuality, he wanted the world to see Napstablook and Shyren for the stars they also were. Against her will, Aeris felt her respect for Mettaton rise. He might be annoying, but he seemed to really care about his friends, and that had to count for something.

Of course, the newfound respect was immediately tested when Mettaton gave her a look that suggested how little he thought of her intelligence.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He questioned, and then continued before Aeris could reply, “I want _you_ to play the final song of the concert with them!”

Aeris eyed him, waiting for the stupid robot to start snickering and announce that she was on a candid TV show or something. But instead, he just watched her expectantly, as if he was waiting for her to start making a fool of herself at such an opportunity. The staring contest stretched on for a long moment, broken at last by Aeris, who frowned at Mettaton.

“…Oh my god, you’re serious,” she noted. Mettaton scowled at her less-than-enthused tone.

“Of course I’m serious! Why would I joke about this?!”

“I don’t play in public.”

“Liar! You played for the Royal Guard wedding!”

“That was a favor for a friend.”

“Then consider this another favor for another friend!” At Aeris’ deadpan look, Mettaton huffed. “I’m talking about _Shyren_ , of course! She’s…a tad nervous, about trying to make it on her own, so I promised her you would play in order to make her feel better! After all, she always has a great time with you, and her voice really shines through when accompanied by your piano! So won’t you do this favor for your friend?”

Aeris scowled at him. “You already told her I’d be playing?”

“I didn’t think you’d be so heartless as to turn her down,” Mettaton reasoned with a shrug, though he was smirking, which Aeris hated. “Is that what you’re doing, darling? Turning down Shyren, when she needs you the most?”

Aeris glared at him, wishing she had laser vision so she could zap that stupid smug look off his face. She hated this—Mettaton hadn’t even asked her first, and yet he knew _exactly_ how to rope her into it so that she couldn’t refuse. This wasn’t a request—it was an ultimatum, and Aeris hated him more than ever for shoving her into such an event, knowing that she wouldn’t refuse no matter how he pretended to ask. She thought about turning him down regardless and making him sweat; it would make him look very bad if he couldn’t keep his promise to Shyren, after all. But then Aeris thought about Shyren, sweet Shyren, who had made humming so much fun for Aeris, and she sighed a very heavy sigh.

“You know what?” She said, getting to her feet and glaring at Mettaton. “Fine. But I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Shyren and Napstablook, because they deserve better than fading into nonexistence just because _you_ want a break. And you know what else? Tonight, I’m going to make them look so good that no one will even remember your name by the end of the concert.”

Mettaton grinned, welcoming the challenge. “I look forward to it, darling.”

 

* * *

 

“WOWIE!!! YOU’RE GONNA BE IN METTATON’S CONCERT?!”

Aeris huffed. “Unfortunately,” she answered Papyrus, shifting her phone to her other hand so she could stick her freezing hand into her pocket. God, it was cold out here. “Your boyfriend didn’t leave me much of a choice, so now I have to go home and get ready for the concert instead of for my date with Sans. And speaking of your brother, where is he? He’s not answering his phone.”

“I don’t know,” Papyrus admitted, sounding a little worried about that. “He disappears sometimes without warning, but he always comes back after a while. I can give him the message if I catch him before I leave for the concert, if you want.”

Aeris sighed. “Thanks, but no thanks. This is something I’d rather tell him about myself.”

“If you say so, Princess. Oopsy doopsy, my break’s over! I gotta go. Good luck!”

“Thanks. See you later.”

Aeris hung up, dropping her phone back into her pocket with another sigh. Sans would not be happy about this—she had been keeping him at bay lately, unwilling to be too intimate with him with Papyrus in the next room over to avoid making the tall skeleton brother uncomfortable. Tonight was supposed to be a perfect night alone, with just the two of them, but now…

Aeris paused. She hadn’t realized she’d been walking this way, but abruptly, she found herself at the cliff. And she wasn’t alone.

“Hey,” Sans greeted her, turning and giving her a grin. “Fancy seein’ you here.”

Aeris smiled weakly. Of course he’d be here. Well, time to get this over with, she supposed.

“Hi,” she greeted in return, striding forward and taking a seat next to him. “Listen…we need to talk.”

Sans glanced up at her from his peripheral vision. “This sounds ominous,” he remarked. Aeris’ smile widened a little.

“Don’t worry, I’m not breaking up with you or anything like that,” she assured him, and Sans’ shoulders relaxed. “I just have some news you’re not gonna like.”

“Are you pregnant?” Sans wanted to know. Aeris rolled her eyes.

“Would you mind listening to me for one second?”

“Sorry. I just figure, if I keep guessing the worst first, then what ya have to tell me won’t be so bad in comparison.”

Aeris puckered her lips. That…wasn’t a bad strategy, actually. She wished she could ask him to continue…but this had to be said sooner rather than later. She heaved a deep sigh, her eyes going to the horizon, where the sun was just beginning its descent.

“…So,” she began, hating that she even had to speak these words, “I know we had plans to meet up later…but, something came up.”

Silence fell between them. Aeris wanted to know what sort of expression Sans was making…but at the same time, she didn’t. She compromised by keeping her gaze on the setting sun, waiting until Sans spoke first.

After a few thorny seconds, he finally did.

“Something…like what?” He bothered to ask, his tone casual…mostly. Aeris let out a short huff.

“Mettaton’s making me perform in his concert,” she admitted, scowling at the horizon. “It’s supposedly a farewell thing for his fans while he goes on a break, and he wants to promote Napstablook and Shyren so maybe they can go on with their careers while he’s gone. And he already told Shyren I’d do it, and she’s really looking forward to it…”

“…Let me get this straight,” Sans began, avoiding Aeris’ gaze when she looked over at him by squinting into the horizon, “you’re blowin’ off our date tonight to perform in Mettaton’s concert?”

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have to—”

“You _don’t_ have to,” Sans pointed out, glancing over at Aeris, beginning to frown. “Ya could’ve just said no, Princess.”

Aeris bit her lip. She knew he’d take it like this.

“I know…but Shyren—”

“Is more important than me,” Sans interrupted with a bob of his skull. “I see.”

“That’s not what I said,” Aeris protested in a low voice, reaching out to Sans. “Look, this _is_ really important, but not more than you, which is why I wanted to talk about it in person instead of leaving you a message on your phone or something—”

Sans got to his feet, brushing off Aeris’ touch.

“Seems like there’s nothin’ to talk about. Sounds like you already made up your mind, Princess.”

“Sans,” Aeris began desperately, sensing him beginning to shut down. She climbed to her feet as well, intending to talk this through, even if it meant an argument—

Her phone went off in her pocket. Aeris closed her eyes, willing herself to ignore it; she could call back whoever it was later. After a moment, her phone went silent, and she opened her eyes, focusing on Sans once again, who was staring at the ground, his hands shoved in his pockets.

“Sans—”

And her phone started ringing again. Growling under her breath, Aeris pulled her cell phone out, intending to either silence it or chuck it over the cliff…but then she saw that it was Reyna calling. And Reyna didn’t call her unless it was something she needed to discuss right this second, preferring to text any other time.

Aeris hesitated. There was a good chance it might be something trivial…but if she didn’t answer—

“Answer it.”

Sans still wouldn’t look at her, but when Aeris’ concerned gaze went to him, he spoke again, “The sound’s makin’ my ears _ring._ ”

Frowning at the substandard pun, Aeris answered the call, turning away from Sans to talk.

“Reyna, can I call you back? Now’s not—”

“Hey,” Reyna replied, cutting off Aeris’ request. She sounded annoyed about something. “You wanna explain to me why there’s a glittery, flamboyant robot outside my door asking where you are?”

Aeris swore under her breath. She hadn’t expected Mettaton to arrive so quickly.

“Ugh, that’s a long story. I’m on my way home now; I’ll explain when I get there. Just, give me ten minutes, okay?”

“Make it five.” Reyna hung up, and Aeris dropped her cell phone back into her pocket with a sigh. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do when she got back, it seemed.

“Listen, Sans,” She tried again, turning to face her bony boyfriend…but he wasn’t there. Blinking in surprise, Aeris looked around, searching for any trace of him…but he was nowhere to be found. He must’ve teleported away when she wasn’t looking.

Aeris swore more vehemently. Mettaton was forever on her list for forcing her into this situation.

And now, he was apparently riling up Reyna as he waited for her so he could “beautify” her, as he put it earlier, which meant Aeris had an hour of trying to maintain the peace between the stupid robot and her slightly homicidal roommate, all while preparing for a concert she had wanted no part of in the first place.

Everything was just coming up roses today.

 

* * *

 

The concert hall had undergone a significant transformation since the last time Aeris was here. For one thing, the stage had clearly been polished to perfection, gleaming in the lights that now beamed down on it in different shades of blue, pink, purple and green. For another thing, there were a lot more people here than there was in the rehearsals.

A _lot_ more people.

Aeris made herself breathe as she paced around the dressing room, wringing her hands. She never should’ve agreed to this. She should’ve just told Mettaton to shove it. She should’ve refused to let him coerce her into this using her friendship with Shyren. True, Shyren was pleased when Aeris showed up, but Aeris was beginning to wonder if it was worth it, with how queasy she was beginning to feel. Thank god she only had to play the one song at the end, or else she’d be a vomiting mess right about now.

And that would’ve been a shame, considering she was now wearing the dress Reyna had practically forced onto her; Mettaton had found it in her closet when he was going through her wardrobe, and he absolutely loved it, so it was decided that Aeris had to wear it for the concert. It was easier to just let him do what he wanted, anyway, so Aeris agreed…on the condition that he helped her pin her hair into a twist so she could wear her hair clip from Sans. And thankfully, Reyna had been there when it was time for the make-up, making sure Mettaton didn’t get carried away, keeping it classy and understated, the way Aeris preferred.

Objectively, Aeris felt that she looked amazing. Subjectively, she felt awful, and therefore felt that she looked awful.

Sans still wasn’t answering his phone. Aeris had been calling and calling, but all she kept getting was his voicemail. Tears threatened to pour from her eyes at this, but she pushed them back, partially because she was tired of shedding tears over him, and mostly because she was afraid of what Mettaton would do if she ended up ruining her make-up. This was so stupid. Tonight was supposed to be a good night, but now…

“Knock knock?”

Aeris turned, smiling in surprise as Dante entered the dressing room.

“Hey, Dante,” she greeted him, accepting the hug he gave her. He stepped back, looking her up and down, letting out a low whistle.

“ _Dios mio._ You look amazing, Aeris.”

Aeris giggled and blushed, plucking at her dress self-consciously.

“Really? You don’t think it’s too much?” She asked, gesturing to the slit in particular. Dante gave a grin.

“Nah, it’s perfect. I’m sure Sans loves it.”

He had said exactly the wrong thing, and seemed to know it as Aeris’ grin dropped.

“ _Que pasa?_ I thought things were good between you two now! …Did you have another fight?” Dante guessed as Aeris sighed, sinking down into a chair.

“Yes. It was a stupid fight, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about it yet; he disappeared after I told him I would be performing tonight.” Aeris pouted. Dante gave a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well…I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. I remember him saying he loves hearing you play, so he won’t pass this up.”

Aeris gave a hollow laugh. “You’re underestimating how much he loathes Mettaton.” She glanced up at the TV monitor mounted on the wall, where she had been keeping track of the concert, waiting for her cue. It wouldn’t be long now…

Struck by a sudden thought, Aeris turned to Dante. “What’re you doing backstage, anyway?”

“Papyrus snuck me in,” Dante said with a conspirator’s wink, holding up the backstage pass that clearly had Papyrus’ name written on it. “So I just wanted to come back, and, you know, wish you luck. Not that you need it, from what Sans tells me about how you play…”

Aeris blushed at the compliment, but she couldn’t help but notice that Dante kept getting side-tracked. His eyes kept glancing up to the TV, and at first, Aeris thought he was more interested in watching the concert. But then she began to notice a pattern: Dante only looked up when the cameras were focused on Napstablook as the robot played his synthesizer, clearly enjoying himself. Aeris’ gaze travelled in between Dante and the TV screen, a slow smile beginning to spread across her face. She was starting to get the feeling that she wasn’t the only reason Dante wanted to be backstage…

“…You know, I have Napstablook’s number,” she said casually, amused as Dante began to blush. “I could ask him if it’s okay for you to give him a call sometime…”

Dante gave her an awkward grin, rubbing the back of his neck some more.

“ _Dios mio._ Am I being that obvious?” He asked, and Aeris giggled.

“No. I just pay attention,” she assured him with a grin. Admittedly, she had no idea Dante was into robots, but hey, to each their own. Wasn’t like she was in any position to judge, dating a skeleton monster and all…

A stagehand suddenly popped her head into the dressing room.

“Miss Crown, it’s time to head to the stage!”

Aeris jumped up, the queasy feeling returning to her stomach. Oh god. Was the room spinning, or was that just her?

There was a hand on her back, and Dante stood beside her, giving her a reassuring grin.

“Breathe, Aeris. You will be fine. I’m looking forward to hearing you play.”

“Thanks,” Aeris said in a hoarse voice; her throat had suddenly become too dry for her to speak in her normal voice. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to breathe normally. “Do you think…you could help me walk to the stage…?”

Dante laughed at that. “Three years ago, I couldn’t get you into a wheelchair, and now you’re asking if I’ll help you walk three feet backstage? You’ve changed, _chica._ ”

Aeris rolled her eyes. “Shut up and help me, or no Napstablook number for you.”

“All right, all right…”

Dante carefully led Aeris to the stage, where she waited off in the wing, willing her knees not to give way as she waited for her cue. The crowd was still cheering after Mettaton’s last song, and he waved his hand lazily to get them to settle down. They quieted eventually to a dull roar, and Mettaton lifted his microphone to speak.

“Thank you all so much for attending tonight! Your support means the world to us! Doesn’t it, my beauties?” He asked Shyren and Napstablook, who each gave nods. Aeris bit her lip, wondering who would do all the talking when Mettaton took his vacation.

“Yes, well! That being said, I have a little announcement to make…” Mettaton fussily cleared his throat before continuing. “I, Mettaton, am sorry to say that I will be taking a hiatus from the spotlight after this concert.”

The answering chorus of astounded cries was deafening; Aeris could’ve swore she heard Papyrus’ confused screeching from somewhere in the front row.

“Yes, it’s true!” Mettaton insisted, striking a dramatic pose. “Even shooting stars such as I need their rest, darlings! This isn’t goodbye _permanently_ , mind you! I will return to the stage soon enough! BUT, in the meantime, I would like to announce that my dear bandmates, Shyren and Napstablook, will be continuing with their musical careers in my absence! A round of applause for them!!”

Mettaton clapped the loudest, and Aeris was relieved to hear that the applause wasn’t as unenthusiastic as she feared it would be. Shyren blushed and Napstablook looked embarrassed, but they seemed reasonably pleased with their reception as well.

“And, to give you a bigger taste of their _phenomenal_ talent, I present to you, an original song created by our very own Shyren, accompanied by Napstablook, and a special guest, Aeris Crown!”

That was a cue if she ever heard one. Aeris sucked in a deep breath and held it as she stepped out onto the stage. It was comforting to be able to hear Papyrus cheering for her, and Aeris allowed herself a little smile as she bowed for the polite applause she received.

“Good luck, darling,” Mettaton muttered to Aeris while he passed by her as she was taking a seat at the piano set up on stage. Aeris eyed him from her peripheral vision, almost expecting him to say something snarky, along the lines of “you’ll need it”, or something. But he just smiled and twiddled his fingers at her, slipping backstage. Some of Aeris’ irritation with him eroded away, and she cursed the stupid robot for being so charming.

Shyren had taken center stage, in front of a microphone. Napstablook was poised behind his synthesizer, nodding a little at Aeris to indicate that he was ready. Aeris gave Shyren an encouraging smile, who smiled back tremulously.

And Aeris began to play, striking the four beginning chords to count Shyren into the song. Shyren pushed her hair back, her lips at the microphone, and she began to sing.

“ _Hello, it’s me._

_I was wondering if after all these years,_

_You’d like to meet._

_To go over_

_Everything_

_They say that time’s supposed to heal ya,_

_But I ain’t done much healing._ ”

Shyren’s voice grew stronger as the song continued, building into something powerful. Aeris closed her eyes, allowing herself to get lost in the lyrics this time, since the chords she had to play were so simple. Shyren wrote the song, but Aeris felt the words and emotions of it so strongly that it was difficult not to sing along. As she played, she thought about the past three years, of how hard she had worked to get back here, and all the mistakes she had made along the way. She thought of Sans, of her surprise and sadness upon discovering that he no longer remembered her, wishing so desperately that there was a way for her to turn back time, to take away all the pain he experienced because of her…

“ _Hello from the other side._

_I must’ve called a thousand times_

_To tell you I’m sorry_

_For everything that I’ve done_

_But when I call_

_You never seem to be home…_ ”

Aeris should’ve called. She really should’ve called, instead of assuming things would be just fine while she struggled under the weight of the world on her own. Had that decision been made because she wanted to run away from everyone else’s hopes that she would make a miraculous recovery? Had it been her own way of keeping some of the pressure off her, knowing that her parents would already be putting such expectations on her before she even began the treatment? Was Aeris really trying to protect her friends from more heartache? Or had she only been trying to protect herself?

Whatever the reason, it had definitely had its consequences. And though she and Sans were fine now—sort of—Aeris wondered how in the world she would’ve survived this if things had gone in a totally different direction. What if Sans wasn’t still in love with her when she decided she wasn’t going to give him up? Would she still have been able to do it? Or would it have been too hard, going through all of this and knowing there was no hope?

“ _Hello from the outside._

_At least I can say that I’ve tried_

_To tell you I’m sorry_

_For breaking your heart,_

_But it don’t matter_

_It clearly doesn’t tear you apart_

_Anymore._ ”

And now Sans wouldn’t answer her calls. Aeris wondered how deeply she’d hurt him with this, choosing this concert over spending time with him. She _really_ should’ve just told Mettaton no; as great as it felt to help Shyren and Napstablook, they literally could’ve gotten _anyone_ to play these simple chords she was playing. And Aeris could’ve been with Sans by now, in his home, holding him, kissing him, telling him she loved him…

All the apologies she wanted to say to him poured into the simple chords she played, adding to Shyren’s powerful voice. Though Aeris knew Sans wasn’t listening, she played a thousand “sorry”s and “I love you”s in the song, weaving them through the notes so tightly that they seemed to meld with the very soul of the song itself, making it so much more sorrowful than before. As Shyren sang the last note, Aeris struck the last few chords with precision, letting the piano drift into silence on the last note.

Silence permeated the concert hall.

And then, quite abruptly, applause erupted—thunderous, jubilant applause. Shyren blushed and hid behind her hair, and Aeris grinned at the sight. They loved her. They really loved her. As bad as she felt about Sans, Aeris found herself thinking that maybe it was worth it to watch someone as talented as Shyren receive a standing ovation.

Aeris rose from the piano and bowed herself off stage, moving quickly past the curtains.

“Where are you going?!” Mettaton questioned her as she rushed past him, kicking off her heels in frustration. “Can’t you hear them shouting for an encore out there?!”

“ _You_ take care of it,” Aeris insisted, shooting a look at him from over her shoulder that was half-amused, half-frustrated. “You’re the star, aren’t you? Go appease _your_ fans; _I_ have to find my boyfriend and enjoy what’s left of New Year’s Eve. Bye!” She insisted when Mettaton’s mouth opened as if he meant to argue with her, rushing off before he could think of another reason to call her back.

Aeris pushed open the door to the stage, meaning to head back to the dressing room to retrieve her phone, so she could call Sans until she found him and got him to listen to her apologies, but a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the side.

Aeris yelped, stumbling off-balance, but the sound was cut off by the familiar sensation of teeth pressing to her lips. She pulled back, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Sans,” she said in wonder, staring down at her bony boyfriend, who was gazing up at her so lovingly that it made her knees weak. “You _did_ come.”

“I didn’t want to,” he admitted, his hands slipping over Aeris’ cheeks to bury themselves into her hair. “But I had to. And I’m glad I did.”

“Really?” Aeris questioned, surprised by this. Sans grinned his genuine grin at her, and Aeris felt her heart melt all the way to the floor.

“You were playing for me, weren’t you?” He pointed out. Aeris flushed, pleased that he was able to tell the difference.

“I was,” she agreed. “Sans, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want—”

“Forget about it,” Sans insisted, kissing Aeris again. Aeris allowed it for a moment before she pulled back again, straightening her knees so that she wasn’t so easily accessible to the short skeleton.

“I’m serious,” she said, taking his hands into hers and squeezing them. “I really am sorry. I wanted nothing more than to spend this night with you, but I let myself get pulled into something else, even though I already made plans with you.” She let her lips brush against his metacarpals, smiling a little at the way it made him shudder. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Well, I’m sorry I ran off before I gave you the chance to explain,” Sans admitted, his grin lessening as he apologized. “This was clearly important to you, too. I should’ve realized that.”

Aeris smiled down at him, her fingertips trailing across his cheekbone, blue seemingly bleeding from her fingertips and blooming across Sans’ skull.

“Truce?” She offered with a grin. Sans returned it, his hands sliding around her waist.

“Truce,” he agreed, and they held each other for a long moment, the rest of the world seeming to fade around them, until there was nothing but Aeris, Sans, and this moment.

Sans broke it first.

“Y’know…” he trailed off, pulling back to look Aeris up and down with a lazy grin, “there’s still a couple hours left until midnight. We still have some time to greet the new year the way we planned.” His grin widened at the way Aeris blushed. “Ya interested?”

Despite her embarrassment, Aeris grinned right back.

“I would love that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Slams fist into table*
> 
> SHYREN'S OLDER SISTER IS ADELE REINCARNATED AND YOU WILL NEVER CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.
> 
> And yeah, more self-indulgent nonsense from me, because I really just wanted Aeris and Shyren to have a concert together. ;u;
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed! Only one more chapter to go!
> 
> ~Reyna


	13. Happy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You wanna know something funny?
> 
> "Through the Galaxy" ended up being just 26 words short of the length of "Across Time and Space".
> 
> Less chapters, but more content. I have now written two novel-sized fanfictions in the span of two months.
> 
> I am almost afraid of the potential here.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this last chapter. It starts off VERY NSFW, so, uh, just be warned.
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy!
> 
> ~Reyna

“Oooh…ahhh…hahh…c-c’mon, Aeris…”

Aeris laughed under her breath as she continued to trail butterfly kisses down Sans’ ribs. He was so impatient, he apparently couldn’t wait until later tonight; no, he had to wake her up early so they could fool around before she headed out for the day.

“Say please,” she teased him, the tip of her tongue tracing across his sternum. Sans jerked at the contact, and Aeris glanced up to see his skull flush completely blue.

“Ahh…y-you’re gonna make me beg, now?” He asked in between pants, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, apparently oblivious to his drooling.

Aeris grinned at him, her hands trailing down his spine, making him shudder.

“That depends…” She trailed off, lightly scraping her nails across his ischium. Sans jerked again, clenching his teeth against the moans that threatened to escape. “How bad do you want it?”

“Nnn,” Sans groaned, stealing shuddering breaths when he could as Aeris touched him the way she knew he liked to be touched. His eye sockets squeezed shut, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Aeris grinned at the sight. Watching him enjoy himself like this was hot…but if she _really_ wanted to get him going…

She dipped down quickly, not giving him the chance to figure out what she was about to do before she did it. She grinned briefly at the confused look he gave her before her tongue grazed the inside of his ischium.

Sans gave a jolt, his hips bucking in surprise.

“Ahh! Haah! Oh god—Aeris, ahhh, d-don’t tease me like this—hhh!” Sans pressed his hands over his eye sockets, beginning to whimper as Aeris traced patterns into the bone with the tip of her tongue. When she strayed dangerously close to his erection, Sans let out a high-pitched whine, his hips bucking again.

“Aeris,” he groaned, his whole frame rattling as he panted, voice straining with desperation, “come _on_ already…”

Aeris gazed up at him, her gaze mischievous.

“What’s the magic word?” She purred, grinning as Sans flinched when her fingertips lightly stroked his shaft. He just stared at her, saliva dripping from his tongue and down his jaw, his trembling fingers digging into the sheets, the desperate look in his half-lidded eye sockets growing wilder the more she touched him without giving him what he needed.

“Mercy,” he panted, flinching again when Aeris’ nails lightly grazed him. “Mercy, Aeris…”

Damn. Aeris almost gave in right then and there, part of her feeling a little bad for toying with him so much. But she was totally drunk with power, and that face he was making just made her want to tease him more. She reached forward, running a finger lightly down his spine, enjoying the way Sans hissed at the contact.

“The other magic word,” she muttered in between kisses to his ischium, drawing little noises from the skeleton. “You can do it, Sans. It’s just one syllable…”

“Aeris—!!” The complaint Sans was about to spout cut off, warping into a cry of pleasure when she bit into the top of his ischium. As she began to suck, Sans seemed to lose it. He threw his head back into his pillow, his fingers clawing at his skull as his spine arched.

“Please!” The word seemed to tear from him, somehow forming in between his whimpers and gasps, “ _please_ , Aeris, please! For the love of god! _Please!_ ”

Oh…so _totally_ worth it. Aeris finally obliged him, climbing on top of him and groaning when he pushed himself inside her, clearly unable to wait any longer. The rhythm was chaotic; Sans’ fingers dug into Aeris’ thighs as he thrust into her, and she was only able to sort of match his frantic pace because he was making her legs weak from how hard he was thrusting. Their heavy pants mingled with each other, the frenzy building so fast, the sensation so intense that Aeris could barely stand it for one more minute—

“Ahhh!” Sans reached for her, his trembling finger scraping across her back as he orgasmed, the sheer bliss on his face sending Aeris over the edge with him. She collapsed on top of him, shuddering with pleasure, her breath evening out after a few seconds. Sans was still panting, his fingertips still pressed into Aeris’ back. She peered up at him from the side, cautiously checking his expression. Sans’ eye sockets were squeezed shut, but it didn’t seem like he was fighting tears this time. Her guilt lessened a little.

“So,” she began, propping her head up on her elbow as she gazed down at him from the side, “aren’t things so much easier when you just ask?”

“Hhh…you’re evil,” Sans accused, his eye sockets still closed as he wiped his jaw free of saliva. Aeris giggled under her breath.

“I love you too,” she said, kissing his cheekbone before she sat up. “Maybe that’ll teach you to be more patient from now on.”

Sans grumbled something under his breath, which Aeris didn’t catch, but she was too busy hunting for her clothes to pursue it. As she slipped on her underwear and unearthed one of her socks from the clothes pile, she heard Sans shift on the bed. She turned to find him watching her, his skull propped up in his hand.

“You comin’ back over tonight?” He asked. Aeris sighed as she wiggled herself back into her jeans.

“I really shouldn’t. It’ll be the fourth night in a row that I haven’t been home.”

“So just move back in here already.”

Aeris rolled her eyes. If she had ten gold for every time they had this discussion…

“Okay, I’ll admit, it’s been fun taking advantage of the empty house while Papyrus is off on vacation with Mettaton,” she said, pulling her thick hair out of her turtleneck as she adjusted it. “But I can’t just move back in just like that. Reyna’s my roommate.”

“She’s fine without you,” Sans insisted, frowning as he always did at the mention of Reyna. “She hasn’t complained at all about you staying here, has she?”

“Well…no,” Aeris admitted, frowning a little at that. Indeed, Reyna didn’t care where Aeris was, as long as she bothered to check in. That knowledge made Aeris feel oddly lonely.

As if he could sense her sadness, Sans sat up, sliding his arms around Aeris as she sat down on the bed.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you wanted to move in, then,” he pressed his point, his jaw resting on Aeris’ shoulder. “It’s not like you’ll stop being friends if you move out, right?”

“I guess.” That, and Reyna wouldn’t have to worry about Aeris snooping around anymore; it seemed like she was always home whenever Aeris bothered to come home nowadays, and though she always greeted Aeris with a smile, Aeris got the strangest feeling that Reyna was there as a reminder for Aeris not to look through anything she wasn’t supposed to. The reminder made her tense up around Reyna nowadays, honestly…

Aeris felt phalanges on her chin, and her head turned to look at Sans. He was peering at her with a serious expression, his free hand moving to stroke her hair.

“…I’m not just kidding around when I say you should move back in,” he told her, “I miss you every minute that you’re gone. The only way I can sleep anymore is with you next to me.”

As Aeris bit her lip, Sans’ smile turned wistful.

“Do you…need space? Is that why you won’t even think about it?”

“No, that’s not it,” she sighed, stroking Sans’ cheekbone to get rid of some of the sadness in his gaze. “I have been thinking about it, Sans. And it really would make me happy to move back in with you. But…”

Sans gave her a searching look. A second later, his grin turned wry.

“Ya want me to beg some more? Is that it?”

“No,” Aeris assured him, giving a shifty grin. “Look, I just have a lot going on right now, okay? In between work and helping Toriel and Asgore plan Frisk’s sweet sixteen, I’m kind of swamped. I can’t make any other adult decisions right now…but if I promise to give it some more thought, would that make you happy?”

Sans closed his eye sockets, leaning into the crook of Aeris’ neck.

“Almost,” he admitted. Aeris giggled, turning to kiss his forehead.

“Then I’ll do that. And I love you, but now I really have to go.”

Sans huffed as Aeris wriggled out of his grasp.

“Isn’t today your day off?”

“Yes, but I’m helping Toriel and Asgore with more party details while Frisk is at school.”

“They could probably take care of everything without you, ya know.”

“I _want_ to help. Besides, don’t you have a pool game with Dante today? Papyrus isn’t working right now, so this house isn’t gonna pay for itself without your gambling, is it?”

“Damn, you’re right. All right then…guess I could give my pool game with Dante a _shot._ ”

“I’ll bet the game’s already in your _pocket,_ Sans.”

Sans paused in his clothes hunt to give Aeris a wide grin.

“God, I love you.”

Aeris winked, pulling his bedroom door open. “I know.”

 

* * *

 

Though Aeris was eager to help with the preparations, it was true that Asgore and Toriel didn’t really need her help. While there were to be no attempts at a surprise party this time around, Frisk’s sixteenth birthday party was being planned as a very nice soiree that would take place in Asgore’s garden, with friends, family, and a few politicians that had been invited for the occasion. Toriel and Asgore had everything covered, but still, Aeris felt bad, and insisted on helping any way she could.

So, today, it was her job to gather flowers they would use in the bouquets that would be placed on the large dinner table they already had set up in the main garden. It was menial work, even if Aeris always enjoyed the garden, and so she let her mind wander as she picked flowers at random, subconsciously keeping an eye out for anything blue or purple, because she knew Frisk would enjoy it.

Sans kept intruding in her thoughts, as he always did, his offer for her to move back in with him and Papyrus dangling in front of Aeris like a carrot in front of a horse. She couldn’t deny how strong the temptation was; Aeris was always on the verge of saying yes whenever Sans brought it up, and she would’ve done so already, if it weren’t for…

Now Reyna popped into her head, grinning widely, her dark eyes full of secrets. Was Aeris reluctant to leave Reyna’s place because she hated leaving any mystery unsolved? Or was it genuine affection for her strange roommate that kept Aeris in limbo, teetering towards one decision, and then another? Or was it a mix of both?

Aeris sighed. She really couldn’t see Reyna having a problem if Aeris wanted to move back in with Sans, no matter how much Reyna disliked the punny bonehead. In fact, Aeris could only see Reyna making a ton of inappropriate jokes once Aeris suggested it, and then patiently helping her pack and carry her stuff all the way to the skeleton brother’s house. Reyna was a lot of things, many of them not good, but Aeris could tell that she honestly wanted whatever made Aeris happy…so…

Aeris paused, blinking. Oops—she had let her mind wander a little too far, and now she was in a part of the garden that she didn’t recognize. Frowning, she looked around, searching for any kind of familiar landmark to get her back on track, when the sight of her own face distracted her. She blinked again, thinking she had caught her own reflection in a reflecting pool or something…but that wasn’t it. There was a framed photo of her in the distance, leaning against…against…

Silently drawing forward, Aeris could only stare in surprise. There was a large urn on a pedestal in the middle of this garden path, the top of it decorated with white lilies. Her picture was propped up in front of it; it must’ve been taken without her knowledge, because Aeris didn’t photograph well when told to face the camera, and this picture was of her looking away, smiling vaguely at something. She could tell it was an old picture, since her cheeks were so hollow and her hair was still long—it had to have been taken three years ago. Aeris had unwittingly stumbled onto her own grave.

“They added that here after you left.”

Aeris jumped and wheeled around. She hadn’t noticed earlier, too distracted by the sight of her own face, but she wasn’t alone on this garden path. A giant golden flower sat in a large flower pot not too far away, scowling at her…though it looked a little more like it was pouting.

“That old fool came here every other day, adding new lilies when the old ones died. And the old hag and the others would visit, too, though some of them stopped coming, because it was apparently too painful…”

The flower’s face twisted into a smug smile. “The only person who wouldn’t come at all was that smiley trash bag, not that I’m complaining. Ironic, isn’t it? All the suffering they had to go through…and you were alive this whole time? But you didn’t let _them_ know that. Instead, you let them wallow in their own misery for years and years. You _monster._ ”

The flower let out a cruel cackle. Aeris took a deep breath, reminding herself that she had no reason to be angry. After all, the flower was right—she _had_ been a monster for letting them think she was dead all this time. But she had been forgiven, and she was making her peace with what she had done. She wouldn’t let bitter words from a flower bring her down…not when she knew the truth…

“Hello, Asriel,” she greeted the plant, trying to be friendly. But, apparently, it was the wrong thing to say: the flower’s face twisted into an ugly look, and it practically hissed at her,

“ _Don’t call me that! My name is Flowey! Flowey the flower!!!_ ”

Aeris raised her hands in surrender, her eyes widening. “Sorry,” she apologized in surprise, not expecting that reaction at all. “Sorry, Flowey.”

Flowey huffed and puffed, glaring at her. Aeris waited until the glare disappeared, and it merely gazed at her warily, before she lowered her hands, adjusting the bouquet in her arms.

“…What are you even doing here?” Flowey wanted to know, glancing away from her to glare at the memorial behind her. “Don’t you have anything better to do than visit an empty grave?”

“I got lost,” Aeris admitted. Flowey snorted at this, the sound turning into a squeak of surprise as Aeris added, “I’m glad I ran into you, though.”

The flower eyed her suspiciously, drawing back, as if she were advancing upon it with pruning shears.

“…Why? Are you here for one of my petals?” It questioned, leaves raising as if it meant to fend her off. “Come near me and I’ll…I’ll bite you! I swear I will!”

Aeris frowned a little. She supposed it was her fault that Flowey was so afraid of her as well, wasn’t it? She _had_ nearly ripped one of its petals out…

Heaving a sigh, she tried again. “Flowey…I’m sorry about hurting you the last time I saw you,” she apologized. Flowey merely stared at her for a stunned second before it regained its composure, snorting in disgust.

“No you’re not. You’re only sorry you got scolded by Frisk.” Flowey glanced away, and Aeris saw something like confusion pass across the flower’s face. “They get weird about other people being mean to me…or they used to…seems like they never have time to visit anymore…”

“…Are you lonely?” Aeris asked. Flowey made another noise of revulsion.

“‘Lonely’? Yeah, right! It’s a relief to be away from smiling idiots all the time! Besides, the only time anyone ever passed through here was to see your empty grave! I told Papyrus I didn’t wanna be moved here, but did he listen? No! No one ever listens…”

The flower drooped, and the sight tugged at Aeris’ heart strings. She moved forward slowly, crouching down next to the flower. It leaned away from her, eyeing her warily. Aeris tried not to let this bother her, and instead shifted the bouquet in her arms to her lap, a hand propping her head up as she leaned an elbow on her knee, staring down at the flower. She inspected it as Flowey stared at her, apparently waiting for her to make some sudden move to hurt it. The seconds ticked by.

“…So do you want to be moved back to your corner of the garden?” Aeris asked. Flowey stared at her, apparently nonplussed.

“…Why are you asking me what I want?” Flowey asked her, its expression telling her quite plainly that it did not comprehend her motivations. Aeris shrugged.

“Well, you seem unhappy here. I was just wondering what would make you happy.”

Flowey stared at her some more. Slowly, a smile began to spread across its face…a sly smile. Instantly, Aeris was on her guard.

“You know what would make me happy…? Being able to go wherever I want, whenever I want—”

“Let’s try for something that _doesn’t_ involve you causing trouble,” Aeris cut the flower off, raising her eyebrows. Instantly, Flowey frowned.

“What’s the point of you asking me what I want if I won’t get it anyway?” It griped. Aeris used her newfound patience to avoid rolling her eyes.

“Something small that will make you happy, but doesn’t involve hurting anyone,” Aeris qualified her question. Flowey scowled at her, and then went silent; Aeris was pleased to find that the flower was actually giving it some thought.

Finally, Flowey glanced back up at her, still frowning and regarding her in a wary fashion.

“…Well…” it began, and Aeris watched in interest as the flower seemed to wiggle self-consciously, its leaves brushing together in an insecure manner. “…My pot’s kind of plain. It didn’t really bother me when no one but that old fool and Frisk came to visit…but for the past three years, a lot of people passed through here…so…”

Aeris smiled. “How about a nice ribbon to tie around your pot?”

Flowey glanced over at her, still cautious. “N-not a stupid, flashy-looking ribbon!” It protested, clearly wanting to make its specific preferences known, “just, y’know, a simple ribbon…that maybe could tie into a simple bow…”

Wow…that was unexpectedly cute. Aeris hid her grin behind her hand, afraid that it might offend Flowey, something she didn’t want after unexpectedly making so much progress.

“What color?”

Flowey shifted around more, looking a little less uncomfortable than before.

“…Blue,” it decided after a moment. Aeris gave a nod and stood up.

“Okay. Then I’ll come with a blue ribbon the next time I visit.”

Flowey stared up at her, its mistrust rearing back full force.

“You’re not coming back,” it predicted, glaring at her as Aeris looked around before deciding that the way she came was the best way to find her way back to the main part of the garden. “You’ve just been making fun of me! You’ll probably tell the smiley trash bag what I said and laugh about it for the next year! You won’t be back!”

As she strode back the way she had come, Aeris glanced over her shoulder, shooting the flower a grin.

“Yeah? Watch me,” she promised, and was rewarded with the brief shocked look that crossed the flower’s face before she turned back around, finding the path back to the main part of the garden. Now all she had to do was find a place that sold really nice ribbons…

 

* * *

 

Aeris couldn’t get used to how early the sun set in winter. One minute, the sun was high in the sky, doing little to nothing to warm the chill in the air, and then the next minute, it was quitting early, taking to the horizon like someone eager to be done with their job for the day. Aeris squinted through the trees, snatches of sunlight hitting her face as she walked. Her fingertips brushed her cell phone in her pocket; a part of her was tempted to call Sans so they could watch the first stars of the night appear in the sky…but if she called him, then she’d end up staying the night at his place again, and she had resolved to go home for tonight, at least. If Aeris was going to keep living with Reyna, she had to go home more than once a week… _if_ Aeris was going to keep living with Reyna…

Honestly, Aeris still hadn’t made up her mind about it. She kept teetering between decisions, stuck between what she felt she needed to do and what would make her happy. And it was odd, this need she felt to stay with Reyna; it wasn’t like Aeris had to pay rent or utilities, since Kokoro was a magic house and provided everything itself, and it wasn’t like Reyna expressed any loneliness that Aeris was spending more and more time at the skeleton brother’s house than with Reyna. So why did Aeris feel guilty about considering moving back in with Sans and Papyrus?

She shook her head. Clearly, she couldn’t make this decision on her own. Maybe Aeris would speak to Reyna, see how she felt about it before Aeris went ahead and decided where to go…

Aeris paused. There was the tree where Kokoro was nestled in, and Reyna was below, her back to Aeris, gazing up at it. Aeris wondered if Reyna had just gotten home, and moved forward to greet her…but a sudden crackle in the air made her stop in her tracks, her hair standing on end. What was that…?

As she watched, Aeris was surprised to find Reyna thrumming with a visible energy, violet, like the way her eyes sometimes looked when Aeris least expected it. Reyna was speaking in a strange tongue, one Aeris didn’t think was Japanese, and as she watched, her strange roommate threw her hands up, palms facing towards the house. There was an ominous creaking of branches, and Aeris felt her mouth come open with a pop as Kokoro suddenly began to shrink, smaller and smaller until Aeris could see nothing but a little wooden cube left, which fell through the air and landed right into Reyna’s open palm. Reyna appeared to stare down at it for a moment before she shoved the block into her pocket, rummaging through her other pocket for something. There was a sudden flash of light, and a thin tendril of smoke began to rise from her, followed by a whole puff of smoke.

The strangely normal sight of Reyna smoking jarred Aeris out of her shock.

“Reyna!” She called, her voice sharper than she’d meant it to be. Reyna apparently thought so too; she jumped and whirled around, her right arm raised as a crackling bolt of energy pulsed through her fingers, her eyes alive with the same violet and vicious energy. When she saw that it was Aeris, however, her eyes went back to brown, and she let out a huff, lowering her arm, the energy that crackled through her fingers a moment ago simply fizzling out.

“Shit, girl,” Reyna grumbled, removing her cigarette from her mouth to blow out an irritable puff of smoke. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.” She glanced away, muttering under her breath, “If you died at the last minute, I’d get in a _lot_ of trouble…”

Aeris didn’t have the faintest clue about what Reyna was talking about. At the moment, she couldn’t care less either way.

“What’re you doing?” She demanded to know, moving closer. Reyna quirked a brow at her.

“Ruining my lungs,” she replied with another puff from her cigarette. “Yes, I’m aware of it, and no, it’s not going to change anytime soon.”

“I don’t mean _that,_ ” Aeris said, though she waved her hand in an exaggerated fashion, even though Reyna was always courteous enough to blow the smoke away from her. “What’re you doing with Kokoro?”

Understanding lit Reyna’s eyes at the question. Abruptly, she looked uncomfortable.

“Ah. You, uh, saw that, huh?”

“Even if I didn’t, I’d kind of notice the house missing,” Aeris pointed out. Reyna sighed, rolling her neck until it cracked.

“Thought you’d be going back to Sans’ again tonight,” she admitted, closing her eyes as she smoked. Aeris frowned, taking in her strange roommate’s expression. She looked…tired. As if having this conversation was taking a lot out of her.

“Reyna,” Aeris began, folding her arms, “what’s going on?”

It took a long moment for Reyna to respond; her cigarette was almost half-way finished by the time she opened her eyes again. She gave Aeris a searching look, sizing her up.

“…I’m leaving, Aeris,” she replied suddenly.

Aeris stared at her. If this was a joke…no, it clearly wasn’t; Reyna looked too serious for this to be a joke. She was terrible at keeping a straight face for very long…so this had to be real.

And Aeris was not happy.

“…That’s it?” She asked, staring at Reyna incredulously. “You’re just…leaving? And you weren’t even gonna _tell_ me?”

Reyna’s expression became wry. “I honestly didn’t think you’d notice, hun.”

This felt like a slap in the face to Aeris. She blushed furiously, scowling at Reyna.

“Look, if this is about me not spending much time at home—”

“It isn’t,” Reyna cut her off, tapping on her cigarette to get rid of the ash that clung to the tip. “I’m happy for you, hun. Really. It’s just time for me to move on. This was only supposed to be a temporary gig, after all.”

“But what about my stuff?”

“I sent it all to your skelebae’s place.” Reyna grinned. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t mind.”

“But…what about Grillby’s?”

“Grillbz’s vacation ended a little early,” Reyna replied, looking amused about something. “Apparently, some tropical storm blew in from out of nowhere, so he wanted to get the hell out of dodge while he could.”

“But,” Aeris tried again, and yet, she couldn’t find any other reason for Reyna to stay. And that hurt her.

Reyna seemed to sense that Aeris was out of arguments as well. She shrugged and closed her hand around her cigarette butt, making it disappear into thin air. “It’s been fun, Aeris. But I’ve gotta go. The Land of the Rising Sun is calling my name.”

Aeris stood, frozen as Reyna walked past her, clearly intending to leave, no matter what Aeris said. She stared down at the snow, which was slowly darkening as the light faded from the world. Her hand was closed into a fist, as if balling it would hold in all her incredulous anger, but—

“I can’t believe it!” She burst out, wheeling around to glare holes in Reyna’s back as she walked away. “If I hadn’t bothered to stop by, you wouldn’t have even told me you were leaving, would you?! I thought we were _friends_ , Reyna!!”

The accusation made Reyna pause. Aeris watched, angry tears beginning to gather in the corner of her eyes, and Reyna tilted her head, as if she were contemplating something. Finally, with a sigh, she half-turned, gazing past Aeris rather than at her.

“Right…” Reyna frowned, a corner of her mouth twisting down. “There’s something I need to tell you, Aeris.”

“Well, I should say so!” Aeris protested, dragging her coat sleeve over her eyes to rid herself of the tears. “You can start by explaining why you thought it was okay to just leave town without even telling me!”

“No,” Reyna answered, and Aeris stared at her in open-mouthed shock. Reyna was looking away from her again, however, and her eyes tightened as she appeared to contemplate something unpleasant. “…There’s something else,” she admitted, glancing back to Aeris.

Aeris stood in the chill of the wind, folding her arms tightly around her as she tried to figure out from Reyna’s expression what on earth she meant. But, as usual, all she got was nothing.

“What?” She was forced to ask, ignoring the shudder that went through her body.

Abruptly, Reyna smiled.

“Not here,” she protested, turning and resuming her walk. “I’ll freeze my balls off out here. Let’s talk at Grillby’s; it’s warm.”

Aeris paused for one second, before she dashed after Reyna, her long legs enabling her to catch up easily.

“Balls?” She questioned, peering down at Reyna curiously.

Reyna grinned. “Well, metaphorical balls. Whatever.”

The walk to Grillby’s II was shorter than usual; Aeris blamed it on the pounding of her blood in her veins as she walked next to Reyna, wondering anxiously what she had to tell her, and if it was at all related to the mystery of Reyna herself that Aeris had been pondering on since she had met her strange roommate…

The response they got when they entered the bar was mixed; Aeris received warm greetings from the Dog Squad as well as the other regulars, but the day crowd was leery of Reyna, save for the few that stayed into the night when she worked. Burgerpants himself appeared to be in mid-celebration; apparently he was taking the news of Reyna’s departure quite well. But when he looked up and saw her enter the bar, all it took was their gazes to lock for him to scramble back to the kitchen, yelping about getting back to work right away.

Smirking to herself, Reyna indicated the booth by the door, furthest away from the other monsters. Aeris sat obediently, watching as Reyna made herself comfortable, shrugging out of her jacket and pulling out another cigarette, though she didn’t light this one; Aeris had learned that Reyna just liked to have one in her mouth when she had to have difficult conversations. Like now, apparently.

Still, Aeris waited as patiently as she could, staring as Reyna looked up at her, seeming to contemplate her once again. The silence stretched on for a few seconds before Reyna, with a huff, broke it.

“First of all, I feel like I should apologize to you, Aeris,” Reyna said, looking so genuinely contrite that Aeris had to stare. Since when did Reyna feel bad about _anything_ she did? “I feel like I made your life a little more difficult than was necessary, so, for that, I’m sorry.”

“What do you—” Aeris began, but Reyna held up a hand, and Aeris went quiet once again.

“This’ll go faster if you save your questions for the end,” Reyna assured her solemnly as she dropped her hand back to the table. “Second of all, I guess I should explain that…well…we’re not friends. Or we weren’t, at the beginning. Not really.”

Aeris blinked. “…What are you talking about?” She had to ask in spite of Reyna’s request for her to save her questions until the end. “Of _course_ we’re friends. We’re…”

Abruptly, a strange feeling overtook Aeris as she stared into Reyna’s eyes. It was like…the warmth of her body suddenly left her, leaving her cold. When the sensation was over, it was like she was left with a little warmth…but not much. As she looked into Reyna’s eyes, Aeris began to realize that it was how she personally felt about Reyna that was making her feel this way.

Reyna smiled. It was a sad sight.

“You feel the difference now?” She asked, her tone wry.

Aeris simply stared at her. She couldn’t believe it. All this time, she had viewed Reyna as a friend, maybe even close to the big sister she never had, but now…now…

Aeris pressed her hands to her chest, as if she’d lost something precious to her. It couldn’t have all been a lie, could it have? There was no way Aeris would have put up with all of Reyna’s shenanigans if they weren’t truly close, right?

…But, if that was true…then why did looking at Reyna feel like looking at nothing more than a neighbor she chatted with maybe once a month? What was with this sudden distance?

Aeris’ eyes were wide as they stared at Reyna, who stared back at her, something like guilt flickering in her gaze.

“…Did you…why did you…?” Aeris couldn’t finish the questions. She was still too stunned from the sudden blow of learning one of her closest friends hadn’t really been that close at all.

Reyna sighed, glancing away from Aeris. “It was the only way to get you to trust me. You needed my help…but you didn’t know it. So I had to force my way in.”

“Force…?”

Reyna glanced back at Aeris, her smile one of an indulgent parent.

“You’re stubborn, hun. If memory serves, you prefer to do things on your own. There was no way you’d accept the help of a stranger, but if I was a friend…”

“How did you…” Aeris’ mouth was dry; she blamed that fact on why her voice sounded so small, like a stranded puppy. She cleared her throat, willing her voice to be stronger as she tried again. “How did you even…do that? I mean, I know you’re magical, but…how did you just… _force_ this friendship between us…?”

Reyna heaved a sigh, her gaze dropping to the table. It was a long moment before she spoke again, in a low voice.

“…Do you know how the monsters got trapped in the Underground in the first place, Aeris…?”

Aeris blinked, and then frowned. What did that story have to do with anything?

“Yes,” she replied anyway, carefully watching Reyna’s face, “Papyrus told me…there was a war, between monsters and humans…and the monsters lost. So the humans trapped the monsters into the Underground, with the help of…six? No, seven magicians.”

Reyna nodded, her gaze far away. “Yes. Years and years ago, those seven magicians trapped monsters beneath the Underground, whether they wanted to or not. …And then they died.” She closed her eyes, her face solemn. “Some of them passed on to the next plane, passing their magic on to their offspring, diluting the magic more and more with every generation, making them safe.”

Reyna opened her eyes, pinning Aeris with her grave stare.

“…But some of us just keep regenerating,” she said quietly.

This made Aeris frown, the word ‘regenerating’ tickling something in the back of her mind. “Regenerating? Like that one show with the time-traveling police box, where the guy with the screwdriver dies and then re…re…”

Aeris stared at Reyna. No way. It couldn’t be…she couldn’t…

As if she read the doubt in Aeris’ eyes, Reyna’s eyes shifted to the violet color they sometimes were, lingering longer than normal, as if Reyna wanted to give Aeris a look at who she really was. And Aeris saw: it was still Reyna, but the look in her eyes had changed into something…other. Ancient.

Aeris sat back, her mouth coming open with a pop. Suddenly…a lot of little weird things that had occurred in her life were beginning to make a whole lot more sense.

“…Oh,” was all she could think of to say. Reyna smiled a little, though her heart didn’t seem to be in it, and her eyes faded back to brown.

“Yeah,” she replied simply, glancing away from Aeris. She waved her hand in the air, and a handful of photos appeared in it out of the blue. “That photo you found? It isn’t the only one.”

She dumped the photographs onto the table. Aeris gaped some more as she took in all the photos, most of them older than her, in black and white and frayed sepia, depicting Reyna in clearly different time periods, most of the time just on the edge of the lens, but always looking annoyed that someone had managed to photograph her. There was only one that looked recent, and Reyna was actually grinning and facing the camera on purpose this time, one of her arms wrapped around and patting the head of a small girl with long brown hair, her fringe nearly obscuring her blue eyes, looking a little embarrassed as she smiled a tiny smile for the camera.

“That’s a descendant of one of the magicians,” Reyna bothered to explain when she caught Aeris staring at that particular photo. “Cute kid. Little jumpy, though.”

Reyna spread her hands over the photos, and they disappeared just as suddenly as they had appeared. She sat back, glancing around the bar as if she wasn’t aware of Aeris’ gaze on her, her jaw still in danger of coming unhinged.

Reyna wasn’t just magical—she was a _magician._ And, apparently, she had played a hand in trapping monsters in the Underground all those years ago.

Abruptly, Aeris heard Sans’ voice float through her mind as he antagonized Reyna:

_“Such a shame you seem to think doing good deeds for one person is enough to wash away your sins, isn’t it?”_

Did that mean that Sans knew who Reyna really was? If so, how did he know? Was he so old that he was actually around when the war between humans and monsters first began…?

Aeris shook her head. Questions for another time. Right now, she had to focus on all the other questions she needed to ask, since she wasn’t sure how long Reyna was willing to be this open with her.

“…So, all the weird stuff that’s been happening…” Aeris began, eyeing Reyna warily as her strange roommate turned to look at her, “…you had a hand in it?”

Reyna slowly raised a brow. “Gonna have to be a little bit more specific, hun.”

“You know…stuff like…calling at the right time, or making things appear that shouldn’t even be there…”

“Oh. Then yeah.” Reyna smiled a little. “You were right about the ‘sixth sense’ thing. I can kind of tell when something’s about to happen, but it’s not like I’m omniscient, exactly…just, close enough.”

Once again, Aeris’ fingertips brushed across the new cell phone in her pocket. This explained so very, very much.

“…And why were you so bent on helping me with my problems in the first place?” Aeris felt she needed to ask, giving Reyna another guarded look. “It’s not like they involved you at all…”

Reyna’s expression suddenly went neutral. Aeris stared. This was one of Reyna’s tells, she just realized—when Aeris got too close to something, Reyna’s face went smooth, as if she was worried about giving something away if she betrayed any emotion.

How ironic that her poker face would be the thing to give her away.

“ _Were_ you involved?” Aeris questioned, leaning forward and staring at Reyna intensely. “Reyna—what did you do?”

Reyna huffed again, her expression becoming contrite once more.

“You’re not gonna like it,” she warned.

“Tell me anyway,” Aeris demanded, though this conversation was giving her a very ominous feeling, like she already knew what Reyna might confess to…

Reyna sighed again, frowned, and then met Aeris’ gaze.

“…I took Sans’ memories.”

Aeris half-expected such words to leave her strange roommate’s lips. It was still a blow to hear them. She sat back again, staring at Reyna. She really was a stranger, wasn’t she…?

But as angry as she felt herself getting, Aeris still had to know why.

“Why would you do that…?” She asked, surprising herself with how eerily calm her voice sounded. But there was a storm brewing underneath, and Reyna seemed to recognize that, and resign herself to it.

“Because he was suffering,” she stated simply with half a shrug, as if the reason didn’t really matter to her…which would’ve been convincing, if Aeris couldn’t plainly see the regret in Reyna’s eyes. “I felt like he might do something…drastic…if this continued…so I took them, giving him a temporary reprieve.” She dropped her voice, muttering under her breath, “I also did it to get back at him for using me…” Her gaze shifted back to Aeris, looking almost guilty again. “…But that’s another story.”

Aeris closed her eyes, slowly counting to ten. She couldn’t believe this. She had been living with this woman for a little over a month now, only to find out that the source of all her misery had been right under her nose the entire time.

Aeris could’ve slapped Reyna. And she would’ve…if she didn’t fear the consequences would be fatal.

Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Aeris opened her eyes again, looking at Reyna, wishing for Sans’ judgement stare in that moment, if only to scare the woman a little. But Reyna just looked back at her, a hint of sadness in her gaze that was too old for her young face. Against her will, Aeris began to wonder just how much Reyna had experienced to look that way.

“…So what was the point in pretending to help me?” She had to know, gritting her teeth against the rage she could feel building within her. “Were you just getting a big kick out of this the whole time?”

“I did help you,” Reyna said quietly. The confidence in that statement pissed Aeris off, and she slammed her hands against the table.

“You did not!! I had to struggle all on my own all this time, and you could’ve just _given_ Sans’ memories back anytime you wanted—”

“No I couldn’t have,” Reyna interrupted calmly, making Aeris seethe. She opened her mouth to argue more, but Reyna once again raised her hand. Aeris hated herself for obeying the silent command to be quiet…but then wondered if she was even responsible for obeying, or if this was more of Reyna’s hocus pocus going on. “Let me explain,” Reyna urged, and Aeris began to think that maybe she had just fallen silent of her own volition. She folded her arms, glaring at Reyna…but she waited, a small part of her hoping this explanation would be good enough to warrant forgiveness.

Reyna laid her hand back on the table, folding her hands as she gazed solemnly at Aeris.

“Magic is a risky business, Aeris. Sure, anyone can make flames appear, or an object float across the room…but when it comes to matters of the mind—and matters of the heart—things get a little tricky. Yes, I stole Sans’ memories. I put them under a heavy padlock to keep them from hurting him. But when you returned, I knew you must be coming back to make things right. So, I gave you the key.”

Reyna smiled a little, presumably at the startled look Aeris felt cross her face.

“No one but you could’ve helped him unlock his memories, Aeris. And I knew you’d be able to do it, even if you felt like you couldn’t. That’s why I’ve been encouraging you all this time. And before you ask why I couldn’t have just told you this…” Reyna smiled more as Aeris shut her mouth, frowning, “let me just say that if there’s anything that magic has taught me, it’s that anything easily gained is rarely worth it. Besides, would you really have believed me if I told you all this the first time we met?”

Aeris scowled, hating the faintly smug look Reyna wore. Damn it, she was right. But that didn’t mean that Aeris had to admit it right away.

“Why not? You made me believe a whole bunch of other stuff that ended up not being true,” Aeris pointed out, more than just a little annoyed at this. The smile slipped from Reyna’s face, and she grew serious once again.

“That’s true,” she admitted with a slight nod. “And you don’t have to forgive me, Aeris. I’d be surprised if you did. But just know that I just wanted to see you happy. And you are now, aren’t you?”

“Not with you,” Aeris made sure she clarified, and Reyna smiled a little, as if this amused her. But the tension left Aeris’ shoulders as she thought about everything she had overcome to get here, and how she had so much more to gain now, because even though not all of Sans’ memories had returned yet, she now had the opportunity to help him fill in the blanks, because she had never truly lost his love, not even after all these years.

Aeris breathed deep, closing her eyes briefly before she looked back at Reyna, her lips twitching as she fought her smile.

“…But yes. I am happy,” she admitted. Reyna smiled a soft smile and got up from the booth.

“Then mission accomplished,” she said, shrugging into her jacket as Aeris watched. Oh, that’s right…she was leaving, wasn’t she? Whereas Aeris had been upset by this earlier, now, she figured it was pretty good timing.

As if she sensed this, Reyna’s smile grew wry.

“Like I said, you don’t have to forgive me,” she prefaced, zipping up her jacket. “And I don’t expect you to need me anytime soon. …But if you ever have a problem, you can call me. I may not have the answer…but I’m always willing to listen.”

Aeris huffed. “It’s going to be a _long_ time before that call comes.”

Reyna nodded, accepting that. “I understand. …And, for what it’s worth, it was amazing getting to know you, Aeris, even if I didn’t give you the same opportunity.” Reyna smiled, the sight a tad wistful, but mostly proud, as if she were watching her own daughter head off to college for the first time. “Goodbye, hun. Good luck.”

“…Goodbye,” Aeris said quietly, but Reyna was already walking away, heading towards the door. Unable to help herself, Aeris watched, her eyes widening as the door opened before Reyna reached it, and Sans walked in. There was a tense moment in which Sans stared at Reyna as she pushed past him to the door.

“Watch where you’re goin’, she-devil,” he grumbled.

“Shove it, flesh-fucker,” Reyna replied without missing a beat, and Aeris watched as Sans’ skull tinted blue, and he merely grunted, letting the door slam shut behind him. He looked up, his gaze locking with Aeris’, and his annoyed look faded almost at once.

“Hey,” he greeted, moving to slide into the booth across from her. “Were ya just havin’ an early dinner with the demon?”

“No,” Aeris replied, choosing for once not to tell Sans off for his description of Reyna. “Just a conversation. Reyna’s leaving town.”

Surprise flitted across Sans’ skull at that news.

“Yeah? Well hey, that’s a cause for celebration. A round of ketchup on me! …No, literally on me. I’d love that.”

When Aeris only smiled weakly at his joke, Sans’ grin softened.

“You’re gonna miss her, huh?”

Aeris paused to consider this. On the one hand, the betrayal cut deep, and it would sting for a while before Aeris would forgive Reyna for what she’d done. …But on the other hand…

“I don’t know,” she eventually settled for. Sans gave her an odd look, but Aeris shrugged and changed the subject. “So…since Reyna’s leaving town, I’m kind of out of a place to stay.” She grinned at the way Sans’ eye sockets lit up. “Know of a good place?”

“I may be able to think of a couple places…one in particular would be good for ya…if ya don’t mind a couple _skeletons_ in the closet.”

Aeris shook her head. “Punny bonehead.”

“That’s me.” Sans slipped his hand across the table, lacing his fingers with Aeris’. “Welcome home, Princess.”

Aeris smiled, her fingers tightening around his. “Good to be home.”

 

* * *

 

Reyna’s magic just did not feel like cooperating. She knew she had overdone it, packing Kokoro so quickly like that. She should’ve just done it in pieces, but _nooo_ , she had to leave right that second…and the moment she dared to stop for a cigarette…

Reyna growled under her breath, trying to get her fire to cooperate. But no matter how many times she snapped her fingers, it just stuttered and burnt out, just like a crappy lighter. Reyna huffed and let out a string of curses under her breath as she patted her pockets. Fine, whatever. She had to have a pack of matches _somewhere_ on her—

A sudden glow next to her distracted Reyna. She glanced up, finding a flaming finger approaching. It pressed itself briefly to the tip of her cigarette, igniting it. Reyna inhaled gratefully, the rush of nicotine through her system euphoric. She exhaled smoke, glancing over at the flaming figure beside her.

“…This how you pick up girls?” She teased, smirking a little as Grillby adjusted his glasses, “you wait for their lighters to go haywire and swoop in like some kind of super-nova James Bond?”

“I don’t know who that is,” Grillby admitted, glancing over at Reyna as she smoked. “…You called me earlier than I expected, though. Was your goal really accomplished in such a short amount of time?”

Reyna glanced up at him, and then over in the window of Grillby’s II, where she could see Sans and Aeris joking and laughing with each other. A small smile graced her features as she pulled her head back, taking another drag from her cigarette.

“Yeah, I think so,” she said, pushing off from the wall she was leaning against. “Welp. Guess there’s really no reason for me to hang around anymore. I’ll be out of your hair now.”

“You won’t stay one more night?”

Reyna raised an eyebrow at Grillby.

“I don’t know what you’re implying, Grillbz,” she teased him, “but I already packed up my house. I’ve got nowhere to stay for tonight.”

Grillby straightened up, giving Reyna a long look.

“…You know that’s never true as long as I’m around,” he told her quietly. Reyna smiled a small smile, flicking her unfinished cigarette into non-existence.

“After everything I’ve done to you…” She shook her head, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “You sure are persistent.”

“What are friends for?” Grillby asked. Reyna’s smile widened at that.

“I guess…” She glanced over at him. “You getting off at your usual time?”

“Maybe earlier. I _am_ tired from travelling all day…”

“Then I’ll wait at your place,” Reyna decided, turning and walking away.

“Try not to break anything this time,” Grillby called after her. Reyna glanced over her shoulder, giving him a wide grin.

“No promises.” She turned back around, waving a hand over her shoulder. “See you soon.”

 

* * *

 

Reyna shuts her book, closing her eyes for a moment. There’s a peaceful smile on her face, one none of you have ever seen before. It’s nice. She wouldn’t be so goddamn scary if she smiled like that more often.

One of you clears your throat.

“So…you and Grillby—”

“None of your business,” Reyna insists, giving you a piercing look that tells you to back off.

“Where does the story go after that?” One of you wants to know. Reyna shrugs, shifting in her chair.

“Wherever you want. That’s the point of an open-ended story: you get to imagine what happens next. I hope you’ve learned that since the last story.” Getting to her feet, Reyna stretches, and you hear her back pop. You wonder if she really is just twenty-three, with the way her bones sound.

“So, that’s the end, kiddies,” she says for the benefit of the one or two of you hoping for more. Pointing to the hallway, she gives a scary grin. “Now get out. Story time’s over.”

Most of you groan and grumble at that, but get to your feet, sore from sitting for so long. As you begin to troop into the hall, however, Reyna’s voice calls you back.

“Wait.”

Some of you turn, some fear in your gazes. She hasn’t killed anyone yet, but that could change so very quickly…

But she’s not giving you her scary grin anymore. Quite the opposite, in fact—she’s smiling quite contentedly, the book she was reading from clutched to her chest.

“…Thanks,” she says, removing her glasses, her smile warming her eyes. “For, you know, making me remember why I had so much fun writing fanfiction in the first place. You’ve been a great audience.”

A few of you exchange glances, the unexpected sentiment making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. A few of you smile back as Reyna puts her book and glasses down on her side table.

“But, uh…if any of you come bursting into my apartment again like you did earlier…”

Abruptly, her kind smile is gone, replaced by the dreaded insane grin, her aura blackening and swirling like its own entity as she grins widely at you all. “ _I’M GONNA GUT YOU AND USE YOUR INTESTINES **AS DRAPES FOR MY WINDOWS,**_ ” she promises, cackling like the mad woman you now know her to be. “ _NOW GET OUT!!_ ”

None of you need telling twice. In fact, you all bum-rush the door, eager to be out of the demonic lady’s place first. None of you stop running until you’re across the street from the apartment complex, completely out of breath, though it was nowhere near that far of a run.

“Well…” one of you pants, wiping sweat from your brow and trying to sound casual, despite the tremor in your voice. “That was…interesting…”

“That’s one word,” one of you says dryly, letting out a heavy sigh before straightening up. “…So…how’re the rest of you getting out of Japan…?”

 

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I cannot thank you enough for believing in and inspiring my madness. I know I already got mushy at the end of ATS, but really, to have been able to continue this journey with you guys has been so much fun, even if I had to break a couple hearts along the way. :P
> 
> I hope you guys will continue to enjoy my work, because, even though Sans' and Aeris' story is pretty much finished...there's a whole lot of fun I'm still gonna have with this universe. So while I'll probably be taking a short break to enjoy the upcoming holidays, I'm really looking forward to my next fanfiction...because the beast has been unleashed, and now I cannot be stopped.
> 
> :D
> 
> Seriously, again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, and I love you guys.
> 
> See you soon~
> 
> ~Reyna


End file.
